Is this Loving or Loathing?
by xSoulfirexCrookshanksx
Summary: *Altered Summery* Hermione gets her first detention... In the Dark Forest, and, worse, with Snape. When things go horrible wrong, Hermione is forced to give up her most treasured possesion to save Snape: Her very life. Snape needs to bring her back, but in the process he loses every drop of magic he has and the only way to get it back is to love and be loved...
1. A Hard Start

**Summery When Hermione starts having these strange dreams about Harry that could ruin their friendship, she starts to get worried. When she lets slip to him about the most recent one, he gets angry and turns on her. Then, he starts getting these strange habits, habits that could get him in serious trouble or hurt. Hermione reluctantly resolves that the only way to help him is by asking Professor Snape for help. Can she find the courage to face him? What will come of their alliance? **

**A/N Sorry about this, Ron Weasley fans. If you fall in that catagory, you might want to stop reading now. You probably wont like it... Just a warning. This is my first HG/SS, so please give a chance. I would love a lot of reviews, so do me a huge favor and review! **

**Disclaimer I wish, but I don't own Harry Potter. This wonderful world is J. K. Rowlings, the best author ever. Any new characters are mine. **

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_**Prologue**_

"The time has come."

Silence hung in the air at this. Not a word was spoken, not a sound emitted. The silence was deafening. The dark robed people around the long table stared in shock at the man at the head, whose hood obscured his head. A large serpent hissed at his feet.

It was then a tall, pale man with blond shoulder length hair stood, his eyes smoldering. "My lord, it is too soon, they are not ready for this—"

"Silence!" The man at head snarled. "It is not your place to tell me what to do, Lucius! If I say it is time, it is time!" The snake coiled at his feet hissed angrily and bared its fangs threateningly. "Peace, Nagini," the man muttered in Parseltongue.

The man, Lucius, glared at him a moment then sat down slowly. He averted his eyes, his anger plain in the way his shoulders remained tense.

The man at head resumed speaking. "As you know, I am almost back to full strength, and if I am to win this war, I need the boy. His friends can easily be disposed of, considering how well you managed with the others." He paused.

"Voldemort, sir?" A woman with wild hair was gazing at him with a blood-thirsty fire in her dark eyes. "Let me kill them," she almost begged.

But Voldemort was shaking his head. "I understand your desires, but I cannot succumb to them." He cut her protest off. "Only they can do it. This is their task, not yours." He narrowed his eyes to show that conversation was over. "As you know, the ones I have chosen to help our—friends—are to lure them out only. If I catch any of you casting any spell at the target, however small or ineffective, I will have to deal with it…severely. Do I make myself clear?"

The Death eaters nodded. That is, all except one. A man in black robes stood, his face set determinedly. "I was remembering our—arrangement—from the other day, my lord, and I was just confirming it is still… valid." He spoke quickly, his eyes darting around at the others as if any one of them could leap at him at any given moment.

"Yes, Severus, but there are a few changes I have made to that particular plan," Voldemort replied. "I shall explain it subsequent of this meeting." Severus nodded shortly and retook his seat.

They went on to discuss other matters, such as how to deal with the Ministry, and Voldemort gave them each a task. "It is vital these are completed cleanly and with no evidence, or the entire plan may fail," he explained. Until the sky outside grew dark. Then Voldemort stood and announced, "This meeting is at an end. Leave, I don't want to see you until I summon." The Death Eaters stood and left the room.

Severus remained behind, his face hard. He was silent until Voldemort spoke. "I have decided that instead of taking the girl by force, you, Severus, will earn her trust and bring her here," the Dark lord began. "She will trust you, follow you, and stay by you, and you, in return, shall deliver her to me." He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "Do you understand? You must not tell her of this until I say it is time."

Severus nodded shortly, his black eyes smoldering. "Yes, my lord." Voldemort leaned back and Severus took his leave.

"Remember, Severus," Voldemort hissed. "You _must not tell anyone_."

_**Chapter 1  
**_

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_Snow covered the grounds at Hogwarts in a thick layer, turning the world white. No tracks distorted the quintessential covering of snow, and trees had perfect rings of white on their branches. A faint gust of icy wind rattled the frozen branches, but that was the only sound. No owls called, no wolves howled, and the forest seemed almost spellbound. But it couldn't last._

_At that moment, several snaps sounded behind a high snowdrift and voices could be heard. At almost the same time, a jet of red sparks erupted from the drift and into the darkening sky. _

"_They should be here," one whispered, his voice rough like sand. "Where are they?"_

"_Shut up, or they'll hear us, you git!" another hissed. The first man muttered "they're not even here yet," and was quiet. _

_At that moment, the castles front doors bust open and four students flew down the front steps towards the hidden men. _

"_Get ready…" the second man whispered in anticipation as the students neared._

"_Hermione, wake up! I saw something, you have to come!"_

_Hermione peeled her eyes open to see Ginny Weasley standing over her, an impatient expression on her face. "What now?" she grumbled, sitting up. "Its still nighttime, I'm tired!"_

_The redhead pointed out the window. "I saw red sparks from the Dark Forest," she explained. "Someone's in trouble!" _

_Hermione stood. "Are you sure?" She was wide awake now. Ginny nodded and Hermione followed her down the stairs to the common room. _

_Ginny immediately went to the boy's dormitory and disappeared up the stairs. When she returned, Harry and Ron were right behind, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. "Well, let's hurry if we're going," Harry yawned. "It looks cold out there."_

_They crawled out through the portrait hole—much to the annoyance of the fat lady—and hurried through the corridors. When they reached the front doors, they hesitated. _

"_What if it's a trap?" Ron asked. Hermione rolled her eyes and Ron glared. "Fine, it's your funeral," he snapped and followed them. As Harry pushed the doors open, Hermione sensed a strange, unwelcome presence, but she chose to ignore it, and they hurried towards the Dark Forest. _

_As they entered the forest, Hermione realized she was in the lead and quickly fell back beside Harry. A twig snapped to the left of her, and she whirled to face it when a flash of bright blue light flashed past her and hit Ron in the chest, knocking him unconscious; he collapsed to the ground. Before Hermione could react, another spell hit Ginny, and she too fell. Hermione, who was enraged at the attacks, fired hex after hex in the direction the spells had come, but none hit their mark._

_Suddenly, a wizard in black robes leaped out from behind a snowdrift, his wand aimed at her. "Put your wand down, missy," he sneered. She didn't move, causing him to scowl. "Don't make me say it again," he growled. _

_She slowly lowered her wand, then, with an adept twist of her wrist, brought it back up. "Stupefy!"_

_The attacker was thrown backwards as the spell hit him in the chest, and he landed hard in the branches of a dense pine tree. At the same moment another wizard leaped out from behind the drift and flicked his wand. Hermione was hurled backwards. White hot pain erupted from her neck and she screamed as she was slammed against a tree. A sharp crack sounded as her spine snapped. Her limp body fell to the ground. Her vision blurred and the last thing she saw was the second wizard dueling with Harry, then she blacked out. _

_When Hermione came to, which was only a few seconds later, she realized she couldn't move any part of her body except her head. Her face contorted and she screamed in helplessness as she tried to move. Finally she gave up. Her head throbbed, and she saw through blurred vision Harry, who was still fighting, glance in her direction and stare in shock. But it was just for a moment, for right then, the Death Eater she had Stunned stood shakily and staggered towards Ron and Ginny, who were still out. He grabbed Ron by his hair, pulled him upright, and wrenched his head back, exposing his neck. She gasped as the wizard pulled a dagger from his belt. He glanced over, sneered, and turned back. Hermione screamed and closed her eyes as the murderer drew his knife across Ron's throat, followed by a spurt of crimson blood. Tears sprang to her eyes as she watched the redheads' lifeless body crumpled to the ground, staining the snow around him red._

_As the Death Eater turned towards Ginny, the other Death Eater was thrown across the yard, crashing into his comrade. They skidded across the ground and vanished down a deep pit._

_Harry hurried over to Ginny then froze as he spotted Ron. He collapsed to the ground in grief, then rose up, scooping Ginny into his arms. He glanced at Hermione, nodded, and headed back towards the castle. She could only lay there, unable to move, and wait for him to return. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and realized the Death Eaters were climbing out over the pit! The one Harry had dueled immediately collapsed, but the other headed straight for her, a hungry gleam in his eyes. _

_Raising his wand, he let out a cackle. He was suddenly thrown off his feet for the third time. Enraged, he stood to face his attacker, a man whose black hood was pulled over his face. The newcomer had his wand aimed at the Death Eaters face. _

_The Death Eater stepped back, unsure what to do, then turned and fled. Before he vanished, he turned, whisked his wand around at Hermione, yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" and was gone._

_The remaining man stared in horror as the flash of green light hurtled towards Hermione and hit her in the chest. Her vision faded, and the last thing she saw was the man in black dashing over to her. Then her vision went black and time and memory ceased. _

_Hermione opened her eyes. She glanced around in awe and surprise. It seemed she was at Kings Cross, but it was different somehow. There were no bustling people trying to catch the train, no litter or garbage anywhere and there was a faint glow about it. She also saw she was the only person there._

_Stepping forward cautiously, she started down the walkway, hoping to find someone, anyone, to tell her why she was here. As she passed a bench, she heard footsteps drawing near. She glanced up and gasped in shock. "Snape! Wha—what are you doing here?" she stammered, stepping away from him and wondering why her least favorite professor was here._

_He narrowed his eyes. "It seems you have lost your way, Miss Granger," he slurred. "I have come to take you back."_

_Hermione gazed at him, confused. "What do you mean, back? Where are we? What is this place?" She again glanced around._

_Snape rolled his eyes. "You're dead. This is where you come when you die." _

_Hermione just looked more confused. "Why are you here then? Are you dead too?"_

_Snape let out an exasperated sigh. "If this were Hogwarts I would put you in detention for a week for all the questions," he snapped, causing her to flinch. "I'm here to take you back, are you coming or not? We haven't all day." _

_She stepped towards him. "How—" she remembered what he said and closed her mouth quickly._

"_How are we getting back?" He finished. "You'll see." With that, he grabbed her arm firmly and waited a moment._

_Hermione stood there, more confused than ever, but she held her tongue. What was Snape doing?_

_Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through, almost knocking them over. It swirled around them and picked them up off their feet, towards the sky. Hermione grabbed Snape's arm, then saw his expression and let go awkwardly._

_After a moment, they slammed down onto hard ground and lay there panting. Hermione opened her eyes and realized she was back in front of Hogwarts. She felt a hand on hers. She was about to look at it when it hit her. She could feel it! Relived, she tried moving but realized it was just her arm she could feel. She sighed and glanced over. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Snape slumped against a tree not a yard from where she lay. He wasn't moving, and his hand was resting limply on top of hers. _

_Surprised and horrified that her professor was seemingly dead, she was about to call out to someone when his hand twitched. She saw his eyes flutter open and he drew in a deep breath, his chest heaving. His wand lay by his other hand. Then he glanced over at her, and relief flickered in his glare for a moment. Then he stood and started back towards the castle. When he realized Hermione wasn't following he turned. "Well? Don't just sit there, you need to get back to your dormitory," he snapped harshly. _

_She averted her eyes and said, "I can't."_

_He scowled. "What do you mean you can't? You have legs haven't you?" _

_She shook her head. "It doesn't feel like it. I think—I think my spine broke."_

_He rolled his eyes and returned to her. "Where?" He bent down next to her. _

"_I can feel my arms, but not my legs."_

"_I need to get you to my classroom. Then I can see what I need…" Snape trailed off in thought. His face hardened. "Where are your friends? I saw Potter with Miss Weasley, but where is…"_

"_Ron?" Hermione finished. She swallowed and closed her eyes, not wanting him to see the tears that were threatening to spill._

_Snape noticed change of attitude. "Where is Weasley?" He demanded._

_Hermione ducked her head as the tears began streaming down her face and pointed. _

_Snape stood and headed in the direction. He saw the snow a few feet away stained red and bent down to uncover Rons' body. He was surprised to feel a pang of sorrow, but he quickly forced it down. No time for feelings._

_He cast a Patronus and said, "I'm down by the Dark Forest. Found Granger. Weasley is dead. Send someone to help." He sent the Patronus to Dumbledore and cast a hurried spell on Ron's body._

_Turning back to Hermione, he saw she had crossed her arms in front of her and was shivering violently. Sighing in resignation, he reluctantly took his own cloak off and wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked up at him in surprise and opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "I can't have a student freezing to death under my watch," he growled._

_Glancing around to see that no one was around, he bent down and lifted her into his arms. She tensed, wanting to snap at him to keep his hands off her, and she lifted her head to do just that. _

"_Stay still," he snarled at her as her head cracked against his chin. _

_She tucked her head to her chest, her face burning. She remained tense and unmoving as he carried her through the corridors, hoping no one saw. It was bad enough he had seen her so weak and helpless, but him touching her? She was disgusted. _

_As they reached the dungeons without incident, Hermione felt her eyes getting heavy. She tried to stay awake, but when he set her down on a couch in his classroom, she immediately drifted off._

_Snape sighed and slumped into his chair, watching the clock tick away on the wall while he waited for her to awaken so he could question her again. His mind whirled and his eyes were heavy. _

_He hadn't gotten any sleep last night; he had stayed up late grading essays, and just as he was preparing for bed, he had noticed red sparks outside. He had watched as the four foolish students dove headfirst into battle, not even considering what could be around the corner. He had been forced to intervene; otherwise Granger and the others would have died along with Weasley. _

_Now, as he sat here wondering what to do about Granger, his mind involuntarily turned to Lily. He tried viciously to force the thought from his mind, but it stayed and Snape could only watch his own thoughts replay over and over in his head. _

_After what seemed hours of his thoughts, but was only about ten minutes judging the time on the clock, Snape finally gave in to sleep. _

_He woke later to find he had slept over two hours. Glancing frantically around, he saw Granger had disappeared. He stood quickly, his scowl deepening as he noticed his office door open. He strode over and brushed into the room, startling Hermione, who was sitting in one of the chairs reading a thick volume._

_She stood quickly, her expression horrified. "Professor! I woke up, and you were still asleep, so I though I'd read until you woke—" _

_Snape cut her off, his eyes round with shock. "How did you get in here?" he demanded harshly._

_She froze and said, "Well, you left your door unlocked, and it was—"_

"_I know it was unlocked!" he snapped, causing her to flinch. "How did you get here? I thought you couldn't move."_

_She appeared startled, as if it had never occurred to her. "I—I don't know, sir…"_

_Snape swept over to her and pulled out his wand. "Where was it broken," he snapped. When she hesitantly pointed to her back just below her shoulder blades, he waved his wand over the area with a few muttered words. When he finished, he frowned and shook his head in perplexity. Glancing at Granger, he saw she had a look of confusion and embarrassment on her face. He snickered. "Well, Miss Granger, it seems you have miraculously healed on your own. Didn't expect that much did you?"_

_She shook her head, the gentle waves in her hair curling around her neck. "No, sir, but if I may, why do you think…"_

"_That happened?" he finished with a sneer. "Who knows why anything happens. Life itself is a mystery." _

_Hermione took a step back. "Thank you, professor, for…you know…" she trailed off, her face burning, and started towards the door. "I'll just leave now…"_

_Snape suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him. His eyes burned with a sudden intensity she couldn't begin to comprehend._

"_Professor, what are you—?" she broke off as he pulled her closer, his face inches from hers. She tried to resist his hold, trying to escape his presence as he gazed at her, his eyes endless black pits that seemed to swallow her in their depths. She could feel his breath on her cheek and she gasped as his lips descended on hers…_

Hermione's eyes flew wide and she bolted upright in her bed, gasping for breath. She realized she had broken out in a cold sweat. As her breathing slowed and she relaxed her tense muscles, she thought, _what a vivid dream! _Then she snorted to herself. _More like a nightmare. _She couldn't think of anyone she'd prefer to be with less than Snape. Just the thought made her shudder with repulsion.

Hermione glanced around at the still dark room. Everyone was still asleep. The alarm clock on her nightstand said 2:59. She sighed and yawned. She still couldn't shake the fact that her memory had played almost to a 'T' what had happened a year previous. It had all happened. That is, up to the part where she had fallen asleep, for which she was glad. No way would she allow Snape to ever, ever, _ever_ do that to her. It was just…_gross _and_ wrong_. She closed her eyes, trying to forget the terrible prospect her mind had come up with.

She sat there, her head throbbing, for almost an hour, her thoughts churning in her mind. What had invoked such a reverie? She never wanted to think of it again. Then she thought, _what would Harry think if I told him? _She mentally shook herself. She would not tell them. They already had too much to deal with, without her upsetting them with her childish worries and thoughts. She would resolve this problem herself.

Finally, she lay back on her pillow and stared at the ceiling, hoping to go back to sleep, but she was too shaken; there was too much on her mind.

When sleep finally came, she was still wondering about that strange dream.

_Hermione felt strange, lightheaded and weightless. She stepped from outside into a long corridor that was dimly lit with burning torches along both of the walls. She glanced around warily, her eyes adjusting to the gloom. Several doors lined the walls, but Hermione wasn't inclined to open any until she reached a particularly old looking one with rusted hinges. She glanced around in case anyone was near then pushed the door open. It let out a loud creak, causing her to flinch, and she stepped into the room. _

_It definitely looked old; the paint was peeling off the walls, the shelf on the far side was messy and disorderly, the books thrown together in heaps. Hermione stifled a sneeze as she noticed the dust was inches thick on every surface. A broken sofa sat in the corner, its springs poking through the thin material. A chimney stuck out in the wall opposite her, a small flickering flame burning in the hearth. She narrowed here eyes. Why was there a fire when no one was here…?_

_Suddenly her breath caught in her throat. Sitting on the armchair by the mantel was an elderly man with disheveled gray hair, his hunched back to her. His face had numerous wrinkles and his scraggly beard was unkempt. Next to him on the floor was a figure that looked to be a boy. A long cloak was thrown over his shoulders and the hood was pulled over his head. Hermione stepped forward._

_Without warning the man lifted his head, his sunken eyes blazing. Hermione paused, and it suddenly felt as if her feet were melded to the dusty floor. She watched as he rose from his chair, his hand outstretched towards her, his long bony fingers curled claw-like. She was about to explain why she was there when she realized he wasn't looking directly at her. His eyes instead scanned the room, passing over her frozen form several times without so much as pausing. Then it hit her. _He could not see her!

_She stepped forward, waving her hand hesitantly over his set face. Not a muscle twitched. Sighing in relief, she relaxed her tense shoulders and stepped back, glancing around the room again. That's when she noticed the boy on the floor had turned his head. Hermione let out a gasp of shock. It was Harry! He was watching the old man with confusion. _

"_What is it, Akiz?" he asked, alarmed. His eyes betrayed fear, and his hands clenched into fists. "Sir?"_

_The old man regained his balance and shook his head. Then he said in a low, rough voice broken with age, "No, Harry, no one is there." His face showed differently, however. _He wasn't even sure of himself_, Hermione thought. _

_At that moment, Harry spoke again. "Should I leave now? If you think someone was here—"_

"_No, Harry. You need to be here. You know that." The old man, Akiz, lowered himself stiffly into his chair and gazed at Harry, who had stood. "Please, sit," Akiz said kindly. Harry sat. "Now, you know me, always forgetting things. Could you please repeat what you said earlier?"_

_Harry nodded and began. "It was the other day, when Ron, Hermione and I were at Hagrid's. He was showing us how to take care of his Hippogriff, Buckbeak. Well, Hagrid said he needed to go get more straw for Buckbeak's bedding, so he left. Then, Ron said he would go help, and he needed to talk to Hagrid. So then it was just me and Hermione." He broke off, his eyes down. Hermione groaned inwardly. She could see where this was heading. Harry continued, "After a minute, Hermione started talking about her friends at school, you know, in the Muggle world before she came here. When she asked me how many friends I had at school, I told her no one liked me there. She just laughed and said…" he trailed off and Akiz motioned him on. "She said she wasn't surprised I have so many friends here. I probably didn't have any in the Muggle world. It—it hurt, but I didn't tell her. She never mentioned it again." He broke off._

"_But that's not why you came, is it?" Akiz said softly. Harry shook his head and the old man continued. "I see what she said hurt you, but that is something you must take care of yourself."_

_Harry nodded impassively. "Very well, sir."_

_Akiz's expression softened as he gazed at Harry. "Now, you came here because of the—" He was cut off as the Midnight bell rang overhead. His face twisted apologetically. "Forgive me, Harry, but I must go now. Be here again tomorrow night, same time."_

_Harry nodded regretfully and stood. Hermione had to dive out of the way as he swept towards the door, his face pallid and his eyes unfocused. He opened the heavy wooden door and stepped out into the darkness of the hallway. Hermione cast one last glance at Akiz, who had slumped into his chair and closed his eyes wearily, then turned and followed Harry. He was already a good ways away, but when she caught up, she realized the place was getting familiar. She realized she was in Hogwarts! The walls and décor were the same, but there was too much dust covering the unused floors._

_Abruptly, Harry in front of her grunted in annoyance as a small scrap of parchment fell from his robes pocket. Stooping, he cast his eyes across the floor in search, but to no avail. Hermione saw it get caught under the foot of a suit of armor, but the dust piled against it obscured it from Harry's view. Finally, he stood and continued down the hall, muttering curses under his breath. _

_At that moment, they rounded a corner and Hermione realized they were in the main hall that went to the Great Hall! Shocked at how far Harry had gone from the Gryffindor tower, Hermione was about to continue following him when she realized he had disappeared. Whirling, she saw she was the only one in the hall. She readied herself to head the way Harry had come when something hard hit her in the back of the head and she fell to the ground, her vision going black. _

Hermione slept dreamlessly the rest of the night.

The next morning, when she woke, everyone else had already left the room. It was a Saturday, and clouds were gathering overhead. She hastily dressed, played with Crookshanks for a bit, and hurried down the stairs to the common room, where she stopped abruptly in surprise.

Almost everyone in Gryffindor had gathered there, and they all turned and watched as she appeared. All at once they erupted in cheers and surged towards her, congratulating her and applauding. Confused, she scanned the room for Harry. They were nowhere to be seen.

Cries of "Congratulations Hermione!", "Well done!", "You're so lucky!" and "Brilliant!" rang in her ears.

She finally managed to find Ginny. "What's going on?" She asked the redhead as the other students in the room slowly dispersed.

Ginny grinned widely. "You didn't hear? You're our new Head Girl! Dumbledore announced it at breakfast, but I guess you weren't there. Anyway, Harry's the Head Boy. Isn't that great?"

Hermione let out a weak smile. "That's wonderful," she yawned.

Ginny frowned. "Are you ok?" she asked. "You look really tired."

"I'm fine, I just didn't sleep well last night," Hermione assured her. "I'll tell you later. For now, let's find Harry. I need to ask him something."

"Ok then," Ginny said slowly, and followed her friend out of the Gryffindor common room.

After a few minutes walking through the halls, Hermion3e glimpsed a familiar hallway and paused.

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

Hermione cast a fleeting glance at her friend. "Could you wait here a moment?" she asked.

Ginny looked confused but said, "Sure." Hermione started down the corridor, noticing there was dust everywhere as if no one had used it in a long time. When she neared the suit of armor she had seen in her dream, she began searching the ground. Before long, she spotted a scrap of parchment fluttering under the suits left shoe. Crouching down, she grasped it in her fingers and anger started boiling inside her as she recognized Harry's untidy scrawl. She remained there a moment then stood and started walking, her eyes fixated on the parchment. Suddenly she ran into a dark barrier. Glancing up, she gasped and her eyes widened in horror at the darkly familiar robes.

"I believe you are out of school boundaries, Miss Granger," Snape drawled, his black eyes narrowed. "May I ask why?"

Hermione stepped back, nearly tripping over her own shoes. "Professor! I—I was just…we were going to the Great Hall…and I saw something…"

Snape cut her off. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for leaving school bounds and muttering unintelligible gibberish," he growled. "I suggest you return to the Great Hall or I will dock more points, do I make myself clear?"

She nodded hurriedly and made to step past him when he suddenly grabbed her arm. Thoughts of her dream the night before surfaced in her mind and she yanked her arm from his grasp, alarmed. Without looking at him she took off down the hall, her robes streaming out behind her.

"Miss Granger, stop where you are immediately!" Snape snapped.

The terrified girl ignored him instead turning the corner and running headlong into Ginny, who stumbled backwards in surprise. "Hermione! What's wrong?"

Hermione didn't answer, her breath coming in rapid gasps. When she found her voice after a moment, she opened her mouth to speak. "It was—"

She didn't get to finish for at that moment Snape appeared around the corner she had come and stalked towards them, his face contorted into an expression of rage. When he spoke, his voice was filled with utter scorn. "That is not the way you act around your superiors, Granger. Detention, six o'clock tonight, my office." He shot her a look full of loathing and disappeared down another hallway.

Ginny stared wide-eyed at Hermione, who looked on the verge of tears. "What was that about?" She asked with incredulity.

"Nothing," Hermione muttered, turning towards the Great Hall. "Let's go."

As they entered the Great Hall, Hermione was surprised to find it almost empty. "Where is everyone?" she asked. She also noticed Snape wasn't at the High Table with the other teachers.

Ginny shrugged. "Left, I guess." She headed straight for the Gryffindor table, which was empty except for four first-years, Neville Longbottom, Fred and George Weasley, and Harry Potter. Hermione rushed over and took the seat next to him. Hr glanced up in surprise. "Good morning Hermione!"

She nodded and started filling her plate with eggs, toast and other breakfast foods. "So," she said, "you're Head Boy?"

A huge grin spread across Harry's face. "Yeah, and you're Head Girl." His smile faded to be replaced by a concerned frown. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

Hermione looked at him and shook herself. "Yes, I'm fine. Why?"

Harry shrugged. "You look really tired."

She glanced around at the Hall, which was slowly emptying, then back at Harry. "I need to tell you something, but not here," she said shortly and stood to leave.

Harry stared at her in confusion. "Why? What happened?" She didn't answer, so he followed her from the Great Hall. As they turned a corner, Harry suddenly grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, causing her to jerk away with a strange expression of fear and shock. He quickly released her, staring in surprise at her reaction. "Hermione, what—"

The terrified girl cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Not now," she hissed, rubbing her arm where he had grabbed her. She spun on her heel and continued down the corridor, leaving Harry no choice but to follow, still perturbed by her reaction.

When they were well away from the other students, Hermione stopped abruptly, causing Harry to walk right into her. She spun around and he recoiled slightly at her forceful glare. "Why didn't you tell me?" she raged suddenly. "I could have helped! I never knew that hurt you like it did!"

Harry jerked back in surprise and stared at the furious Gryffindor. "What are you talking about?" he inquired. "You could have helped with what?" His eyes betrayed the sense of horror growing as he realized he was caught. He was not to be disappointed.

"You know what!" Hermione snarled savagely. "You, going to talk with what's-his-name and saying those things about your own friend, about _me…_" her voice broke at the last words.

Harry felt his chest clench in realization, and he opened his mouth to speak. "Hermione, I—"

"Don't say anything," she snapped whirling around and stalking away. "It means nothing to me."

* * *

**A/N I know, sad ending, it had to happen. Please review and tell me what you think! I noticed that over fifty people have read it, but I still don't have one review. Thats kind of disappointing for all you wonderful readers. Alright, here's the deal. First, third, sixth and tenth person to review will get to choose one thing they want to happen in this fanfic, and I will include it. There are a few exceptions, so choose wisely! **

**Thanks for reading! **


	2. The Unfortunate Reveal

**A/N Hey guys! Sorry this took so long in coming, I hit a massive bout of writers block. But, problem solved, I wrote three sentances and was suddenly like 'That's it!' Thus, the next four pages. XD Hope you enjoy!**

**Also, sorry for all the mistakes in the first chapter, I fixed as many as I got to, but if you see any others, please let me know! **

**From my other FanFic, 'Flight Among the Stars', I said the first five people to review would be mentioned in this chapter, so I would like to thank ****BlackHeartedBirthday, Alexa1993, Shorty653, Asianwitch, and Ducky for the reviews! I really appreciated them, guys!**

******So, this A/N is getting too long. Again, pleeaaasssee review! I want to know if I should continue this FanFic or stop! Thanks! ~Crookshanks**

* * *

A few days after their exchange, Harry still had not said a word to Hermione, which troubled her greatly. If he really was that offended, why hadn't he told her? Why had he remained buried in his own emotions, without thought of how she might feel about it? She shook herself mentally. She was just over exaggerating was all. He would come around soon.

"Hey Hermione!"

Hermione was jolted from her thoughts by Ginny's enthusiastic call. She turned to see the redhead dashing towards her across the courtyard and stopped walking. When Ginny reached her, Hermione noticed her friend was panting. "What's up?" she asked as they started walking towards their next class, Potions. Hermione had been dreading it all week. Tonight was her detention with Snape as well. It had been cancelled the other day because of unknown reasons, and it made her all the more nervous.

"Hermione? Is something wrong?" Ginny asked, concern edging her voice.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Just thinking. Did you hear that Dean Thomas made the Quidditch team?" she changed the subject before Ginny could ask any more questions.

"Yeah, isn't it great? Keeper, too!" Ginny's face went red. Hermione noticed.

"You're not still going out with him are you?" she asked incredulously. "I thought you broke up!"

"We did!" Ginny replied hotly, her stride lengthening. "Come on, we'll be late for class."

When they arrived at the dungeons twenty minutes later, Professor Snape was lecturing the class on the uses of Moonstone and other important potions ingredients. He didn't even glance at the two Gryffindors as they slunk into the cold, dark room. "Late again, are we?" he drawled, sending chills of trepidation down Hermione's spine. "Twenty points from Gryffindor. Take your seats." They did as they were told and he continued. "Now, as you should know…"

Potions class was slow today, mainly because Snape was showing them how to make a very difficult potion and everyone was getting confused and asking questions. Neville, who failed miserably in Potions, kept adding the wrong ingredients to his cauldron. Snape stood over him the rest of that class after Neville added ragwort instead of burdock, causing colourless, odourless gas to fill the air. While Snape said it would not kill anyone, he never said it wouldn't harm them. Afterwards, everyone was afraid to breathe.

When they finally let out, Hermione was in a reasonably bad mood. Her brew had turned a nasty shade of green, instead of the lime color Snape had mentioned. When he had observed hers, he threatened to make her take some if it did not improve by end of class. She finally managed a sea green, which apparently satisfied Snape to an extent, for he did not make her drink any.

"I never want to go to Potions again," Ginny commented as they walked down the hall to their next class, Defense against the Dark Arts. "That bastard said he didn't do as bad as I did when he was in his first year. Arrogant git, he is." She shook her head, exasperated, when Hermione laughed.

"You know, for once, I agree with you on that," she smirked, and rolled her eyes. They shared a laugh until Harry appeared.

"What's so funny?" he asked. He more or less directed the question at Ginny, completely ignoring the fact that Hermione was standing right there. He fell in step with them, readjusting his bookbag so it hung off lopsided off his shoulder. "Do you have Defense next?"

Ginny nodded, though she looked uncomfortable with his intentional exclusion of Hermione's existence. "Yes, Hermione and I were just heading there now." Unexpectedly she asked, "Why are you ignoring Hermione? What did she ever do to you?"

Harry clenched his fists, his face reddening in irritation. He chose not to answer her question, instead lengthening his stride to pull away from the two girls. He disappeared around the corner shortly.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged a perplexed look. "What was that about?" Ginny asked. Hermione shrugged and they resumed their conversation from earlier.

* * *

After Defense against the Dark Arts was their free period. They met up in the Gryffindor common room, which was empty except for Crookshanks, who immediately claimed Hermione's lap. Hermione glanced at Ginny, who sat across from her on a red armchair with a Gryffindor Lion embroidered in the fabric. "Can I tell you something?" she asked warily, her eyes averted.

Ginny gave her a queer look and nodded. "Of course, you know that."

Hermione smiled weakly. She couldn't bear keeping it to herself any longer. "Remember that morning, when Professor Snape gave me detention?" When the redhead nodded affirmative, she continued. "Well, I want to tell you why I reacted like I did." And she went on to explain all about her dream and what exactly had happened that day with Snape. When she finished, Ginny was staring at her with shock plain on her face.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked. "I could have helped!"

Hermione winched visibly at those words. They sounded too much like her own said to Harry that day…

Ginny's face relaxed at her distressed expression and she rested a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "If you need anything, you know I'll listen. Anytime, anyplace. Alright?"

Hermione nodded and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's almost time for lunch," she commented. "Should we—"

She was cut off as Collin Creevy, a fourth year, burst through the door and stood panting a moment. Relief flickered in his eyes when he spotted them. "You have to come quick!" He gasped out. "It—it's Harry!"

The two girls leaped to their feet instantly. Hermione, forgetting her problems in the heat of the moment, demanded, "What's wrong? Is he hurt?"

Collin braced himself against a red embroidered arm chair. Without speaking, and still breathless, he pushed his way back through the portrait hole, gesturing them to follow, which they did without wavering. They followed Collin through the long corridors, down the Shifting Stairs, and headed straight for…

"The library," Hermione realized suddenly. "What was he doing there?"

Collin had managed to catch his breath and said, "He was trying to find something on Moonstone. Said he failed in potions…" he trailed off as they entered the spacious library. He led them straight for the back corner.

When Hermione spotted Harry, she nearly fainted in shock.

* * *

"Come in," The Headmaster called calmly, admitting them in.

Hermione quickly pushed open the heavy wooden door and ushered Collin and Ginny, who was supporting Harry's limp body on her shoulder, inside the neatly organized room.

Dumbledore was sitting at his intricate desk, skimming official looking papers when they entered. When he saw Harry, he immediately stood and his eyes widened. "What happened?" He asked, concern edging his voice.

Hermione spoke first. "Well, I don't know exactly what happened, but Collin was there. He could tell you." She sat back and gestured at Collin.

The boy cleared his throat nervously and began. "Well, Harry was in the library looking for books on Moonstones. When I came in, he was sitting at a table by the window, reading _Mysterious Minerals; an Advanced Guide to Potion Elements_. He saw me and snapped the book shut before I could see what he was reading. Th—then he told me, really rudely, to get away from him. His eyes were all angry-like, and he was glaring like I was You-Know-Who or something. Then he kind of…" he trailed off and had to start again. "He kind of got this weird, fazed look in his eyes, and he slammed the book down and leaped at me, turning into a strange wolf-like creature in midair. I—I was frozen, I couldn't move. I don't know why. Then, Madam Pince showed up. She stared at me and shushed me, not even looking at Harry, who was growling menacingly at her." He paused, noticing how he had everyone's rapt attention. Hermione and Ginny had melodramatically horrified looks on their faces, and Dumbledore was watching him curiously. He continued more confidently, but still shaken from the memory. "When he had almost reached me, a flash of silver shot past me and hit him in the chest. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain, I think. I turned and saw Professor Snape standing with his wand out. He was pale—" He paused when Ginny snickered. "Well, paler than usual, like he's seen a ghost. When he saw me staring, he turned and disappeared. That's when I went and got Hermione and Ginny." He stopped, out of breath.

Dumbledore nodded thanks to the young boy. "Miss Granger, did you know that Harry could do…that? Or you, Miss Weasley?"

They shook their heads and Hermione glanced down at Harry's still lifeless body. He hadn't moved since they arrived at Dumbledore's office. When they had gotten to the library, Harry had been sprawled on the floor, his body covered in black fur and his eyes wide and glassy. Hermione had thought he was dead, but she later realized it was only the after effects of Snape's Stunning Spell. Just thinking of the Potions master made her cringe in disgust, but it was moderately restrained by another emotion. Gratitude. He had saved Collin, and most likely Harry as well. What she couldn't understand though, was why? Why had he helped Collin, and Stunned Harry in defense? She shook herself mentally. No time for peripatetic thoughts.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Dumbledore's kind inquiry jolted her back to the present. She scolded herself for letting her mind wander again.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "I was just thinking, what happened to Harry? Collin said he turned into a wolf like creature. Could he be a…?" she gulped, afraid to say it.

But Dumbledore just shook his head, an amused smile playing across his face. "No, Harry is not a werewolf. They can only transform on the full moons. Indeed, I have not come across this before. It could be anything…" He trailed off, and after a moment pulled out his wand. Hermione instinctively reached for hers as well in case the Headmaster tried to hex Harry, but he only chuckled. "No worries, Miss Granger. I am only summoning Professor Snape. I thought perhaps he could help."

He flicked his wrist and a silvery Patronus spilled from the tip of his wand, hovering a few feet above the ground. "Severus, your experience is needed. Please come to my office immediately." With another flick, the shimmering Patronus vanished and Dumbledore turned his attention back to the three students in his office. "Now, I assume you know of the severity of this situation?" He asked. They nodded wordlessly and he opened his mouth to say more, but at that moment the fire in the mantel turned from red to green and Professor Snape stepped out, his expression registering shock when he saw the four Gryffindors present.

He glanced at Dumbledore, his face reposing itself quickly. "What is the meaning of this, Headmaster?" He drawled in his unfathomable tone. "Why did you summon me?"

Dumbledore's lip quirked amusedly at Snape's impatient tone of voice. "Thank you for coming Severus. We appear to have a problem with young Mr. Potter here. He was found in the library—"

"Yes, yes, I am very much aware of that." Snape interrupted impatiently. "And you are wondering as to why he was as he was," he guessed with a smirk.

Dumbledore nodded and he lowered his voice. "I thought that you would be able to tell us why such a strange occurrence has, well, occurred. Do you have any opinions on the matter?" When Snape didn't answer, he sat back in his chair. "Please take a seat, Severus. You cannot possibly be thinking of standing the whole time?"

The Potions Master scowled and slowly settled into the only available chair, next to Hermione's own. A grimace twisted her features as she noticed she was barely a couple feet from the most hated teacher in the school. If Snape perceived her discomfort, he ignored it. Instead he steepled his long pale fingers in his lap and stared at nothing in particular. When he focused again on the Headmaster, his gaze was unwavering as he said, "I have a suspicion, but it is hardly relevant since Potter is so young, it would be near impossible… Sir, I would tell you my thoughts, but they are so implausible I'm not sure Potters friends will take it well."

Ginny stood abruptly, ignoring Snapes sneering look he gave her. "I'm sure we can take it fine," she shot back hotly. "We just want to help Harry!"

"Now, Miss Weasley…" Dumbledore began. "Please be reasonable. We know you are concerned for Harry's safety, but like Severus said, you might not like it."

Ginny folded her arms stubbornly and glared at Snape, her eyes blazing. The dark man stared back, his black orbs glaring at her. Finally Ginny sighed and said, "Fine. I'll leave."

Snape had a faintly smug look on his face but it passed quickly.

Ginny glared at him a moment loner before heading for the door, Hermione and Collin close behind. When it swung shut behind them, Severus let out a sigh and stared at Harry, who still had not moved. "Dark Magic," he muttered.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Severus straightened and said, louder, "Dark Magic. That's the only explanation. Only Dark Magic users can take on the shape of a Xi'an."

"Xi'an?"

"Yes, Xi'an; that was the shape Potter took on in the library. I recognized it instantly, though why he changed into that creature escapes me." He glanced down at his hands and shook his head. "What did you really want of me, Albus?" He muttered. "Why am I here?"

The old man across from his smiled gently and his eyes twinkled, knowing exactly what he asked. "Severus, you are here because I want you here." When Severus snorted in disbelief, he continued, his voice firm. "You are a vital part of this war Severus. Without you, we would have already lost. Can't you see?"

Severus remained silent, but his face burned with resentment. _Without me, yeah, right._ He kept his eyes directed at his hands but his next words were aimed at Albus. "You say I am important. You say I am here because you want me here. But that's not true. I am not important, nor am I wanted. You only put up with me to keep your school safe. I am here, because here, I am feared by most. Because I chose to be here. With the Dark Lord, I am but a small obstacle to be removed when the time comes." His voice had raised and he rose to his feet as he continued this self-torment. "I have never been wanted! When has anyone ever asked me to help them, except as a last resort?" His eyes blazed at these words. A deep sense of longing grew in his chest, trying to force its way out as he glared at Dumbledore.

While they had been arguing, they didn't notice Harry stir. He slit his eyes a fraction and was surprised to see the two wizards facing each other off. He quickly feigned unconsciousness.

Albus gazed at Severus sadly, his blue eyes staring into Severus' black ones. "Severus, Severus, if only you realized how much you are appreciated. You _are_ wanted, by me, Minerva, and most of the other teachers. I also suspect some of the students are also rather fond of you," he added roguishly with a faint grin.

Severus gave a low growl. At that moment, he noticed Potter stir. A closer look told him the boy was awake. "Get up, Potter," he barked. When the dazed student showed no signs of recognizing his words, he bent down to drag him to his feet when Albus raised a hand in objection.

"Not yet, he is too weak. Tell me, what exactly is a Xi'an?" He inquired curiously.

Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes and began. "A Xi'an is created when a wizard who uses Dark Magic is bitten by a werewolf. The werewolf venom would mix with the Dark Magic source and they would become one element, unchangeable, and irreversible. The Xi'an is only summoned when the wizard is angered greatly. The wizard would not be able to control it. If angered, a Xi'an could destroy Muggle cities." He paused, his memory of that night so long ago triggered… Shaking himself, he said, "If Potter is a Xi'an, I don't see why he hasn't let it show before, unless…" he trailed, disturbed by the prospect.

"Unless what?" Albus urged, a faintly worried look in his eyes.

"Unless he was bitten recently, this is highly unlikely. It usually takes up to a year for it to come out, but their mind, soul and even their personality would change drastically within that time frame." He shook his head again. "But it still doesn't make sense."

When Albus didn't answer, a long, awkward silence stretched out between them until Harry managed to say, "Am I really a Xi'an?"

The two older wizards glanced at each other and Severus shrugged. "You explain."

* * *

Ginny paced the Gryffindor common room while Hermione flipped the pages of _Hogwarts: A History_ with little enthusiasm.

"What was wrong with him?" Ginny fumed, infuriated. "The biased greasy haired git just kicked us out without telling us if Harry is going to be ok!"

Hermione sighed. "Ginny, he'll be fine," she assured her redhead friend for the twentieth time that night. "Professor Snape can't do anything with Dumbledore there." Far from assuring Ginny, Hermione sat back in her chair and flipped to a random page and read silently to herself.

Ginny abruptly halted. "Oh, my goodness, I almost forget!" she exclaimed. Hermione's head shot up in surprise. "When we went to help Harry, there was a thick purple book by his table!" Ginny was getting excited. "If it's still there…"

"Then maybe we can find out what he was really up to!" Hermione finished, caught up in Ginny's excitement. She leaped to her feet, her book forgotten. "We should go now, while Snape is busy."

They exited the Common room and headed down the hall towards the library. When they arrived at their destination, they headed straight for the table Harry had been at. The purple book was gone.

Ginny glanced around, downcast. "Where could it be?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." Hermione also looked. "How about you go search the shelves; I'll stay and look here."

Ginny nodded her consent and disappeared down an aisle.

Hermione started looking everywhere it might be. She looked around the table and under bookshelves, hoping to catch a flash of purple. After a minute or so, she glanced up and saw Ginny had completely left her sight. Not too worried, she continued her search.

"Looking for something?" a soft drawl sounded from a shadowed alcove.

Whipping around, Hermione gasped as Professor Snape stepped out from behind a stone pillar and held her gaze. A thick purple volume was clenched in his right hand. "Might I ask why you are here, Miss Granger?"

Hermione started backing away slowly, her eyes wide with terror. This was just like her dream…

"Be still, girl!" Snape snapped, advancing on her. She froze and he stopped in front of her, his face inches from hers. "I would like to know why you failed to show up last night for detention."

Hermione was frozen in shock, and her voice had completely deserted her. A smirk formed on Snapes' face when he realized this. "I though as much. You will be at my office every night at 6 o'clock for the rest of this week stating tonight. That's including Saturday," he sneered in her face. "Do not forget, or the consequences will be… grim." He held her terrified gaze a moment longer then turned and vanished, the purple volume still in his pale hand.

It was at that moment that Ginny returned with a deflated expression, and she was just in time to see Hermione collapse to the ground.

* * *

Later after dinner, when Hermione glanced at the clock in the Common room and saw it was five till six, she gasped in shock. She was going to be late! Saying hurried good-byes to Ginny and the others, she climbed out of the portrait hole. Dashing down the corridors, she headed straight for the dungeons, hoping she could get there in time.

When she reached the door to the potions classroom, a quick glance at her watch said she was three minutes late. With a sigh, she raised her hand to knock on the door. It flew open with a bang and she froze as Professor Snape stood in the doorway, the usual frown of dissatisfaction on his set face. "You're late," he growled, stepping aside to let her inside. He shut the door behind her and set several heavy wards on it.

Curious, but not curious enough to ask questions as to why he did so, Hermione lingered in the doorway for instructions. When he joined her in the room, he glared a moment before striding over to his desk and taking up stance beside it. "Take out your wand," he commanded in his silky voice.

Confused, Hermione did so and he aimed his own at her face. She prepared to defend herself.

"I am now going to try to breach your mind, you must stop me." Snape flicked his wand and she knew he was in her head.

Snape's presence was tense and cold. He started sifting roughly through her memories, digging deeper into her mind. He looked at every memory she had over the past week, working backwards. As he went back, day by day, Hermione realized he wasn't going to spare a single thought. He saw her when she was caught in the unused hallway, and felt each of her emotions she had at the time. He watched her as she was congratulated by fellow Gryffindors, then she realized he was getting closer. Closer to…

_He was going to see her first dream!_

Terrified, she tried everything to stop him, even going as far as to shove against his mind with her own, but he just batted her out of the way. He was getting closer…closer…then he was there. Hermione could only watch with horror as he watched her dream unfold, scene by scene. When it got to the part after she had died and was at Kings Cross, realization flashed through his mind, searing her with its ferocity. He refused to be deterred though.

_No!_ she shouted with her mind. _Please get out! No, please, don't watch that, I'm begging you…_

_You're not even trying! _Snape retorted with obvious glee while he watched her dream as he carried her through the corridors. _Try harder, girl!_

Then they were at the part where she was caught in his office. She tried with all her might, shoving, hitting and beating against his mind with everything she had. Then she was getting ready to leave the office. She choked back sobs as she fought against him to no avail, her dream ending.

Then it was over.

She felt his mind yank from hers and she screamed in pain as her head felt like it was being ripped apart. She collapsed the ground, her vision fading. She saw Snape stagger, then he too collapsed and her sight went black.

When she came to, she tried to sit up and her head exploded with white hot pain.

"Be still!" Professor Snape snapped from across the room as she fell back to the stone floor. She glanced over and saw him already awake, leaning his back against his desk, a mixture of shock, pain and rage plastered across his face as he glared at her. His face was unusually pale, which surprised Hermione. His wand lay forgotten next to him. Her own was still clamped in her trembling hand.

"Sir, why did—"

"_Silence_!" he thundered sadistically, then doubled over, clawing at his head in agony.

"Professor, are you alright?" Hermione asked with wide eyes, all her foul thoughts about her professor forgotten as he writhed in pain on the floor. She once again sat up, ignoring the shards of pain dancing through her head, and wondering why she wasn't in as much pain as he. She crawled over to him and he lifted his head, anger and loathing blazing in his dark eyes. When he saw her, his expression changed to something she couldn't make out.

She hesitantly extended a hand to rest on his arm, trying to placate him, but he snarled and snatched his arm from her touch, whipping his head around to face away from her. With a sigh, she realized it was futile trying to get him to listen to her. She stood and started unsteadily towards the door.

"Stay. Where. You. Are."

She stopped and turned to see her professor stagger to his feet, his black eyes flashing. He stumbled to his desk and sat down heavily. "You are not finished with your detention, Granger," he growled through gritted teeth, trying to conceal his pain from her. He failed miserably as his face twisted painfully.

After hesitating a moment, Hermione managed to retake her place in front of Snape's desk. "Sir, why did that happen? Why…?" She trailed off, at a loss for words.

Professor Snape's smirk turned into another grimace as he observed the mature woman in front of him. "Granger, there are many things I would like to know, and I can tell you are surprised I don't know the answer to your…inquiry." He shook his head and slumped in his chair. His relaxed demeanor changed back into his usual stern character. "You are not to tell about this—" he gestured between them involuntarily, "—to anyone outside this room," he growled harshly. "Not even your infuriating friends."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, the thought better of it and nodded reluctantly. "Yes, sir."

Snape grumbled something inaudible and started sifting through the papers on his desk, forgetting about Hermione for a brief moment. When he spoke, his voice was oddly strained. "You can start by scrubbing the desks and chairs; I don't want a single grain of dust or grime on them when you are through, do I make myself clear?"

She nodded and reached for her wand just as Snape added slyly, "without your wand. Give it to me, Miss Granger." She reluctantly handed him her wand and he slipped it in the top drawer of hiss desk, locking it with magic. "You do not get it back unless you finish."

Fuming at the bias of his actions, she stormed away to gather the supplies needed to clean. _At least I'm used to working without magic, _she said to herself as she remembered how her parents strictly prohibited all use of magic when she was home for the summer. That and the wizarding rule that said no underage witch or wizard could use magic outside of Hogwarts. As she filled a large plastic bowl with warm water, a swish of fabric sounded behind her and she turned to see the Potions Master sweep into the room and scan the shelves for something. He didn't realize she was watching him until he started searching the shelves next her.

"Hurry up, girl; you're wasting my time as it is!" He snapped, whisking from the room with a low growl. With a shake of her head, Hermione finished filling the bowl, grabbed a couple rags, and headed back into the classroom where she immediately couched by the nearest desk. Soaking a rag, she began to scour the desk, making sure to get every inch of it. When she had done the better part of half the room, she sat back for a moment and crossed her legs, giving her aching arms a break.

It was, of course, that moment Snape reentered the room and saw her. With another growl, he stalked over to check her work. He narrowed his eyes when he couldn't find anything out of place, his hands clenched by his sides. Hermione waited with bated breath to see if he would accept her work. When he didn't say anything, she turned back to her work. After a moment, she realized he was still watching her. Not daring to look up, she instead quickened her pace, hoping to finish swiftly and escape his probing glare.

"Watch what you're doing, you're missing everything!" he spat behind her. With barely suppressed detestation she slowed her hands. After a brief hesitation she heard his black shoes click across the stone away from her. She sighed in relief.

Finally, after three long hours of scrubbing, Hermione was finished. Her arms ached terribly and her back was sore from bending down so often, but she was done.

Stepping carefully over to Professor Snape's desk, she said without looking at him, "I'm done, sir."

With a snort of disbelief the Slytherin Head rose from his chair and strode down the aisles, checking each desk thoroughly. Every now and then, he snapped at her if she missed something, and she would quickly wipe at it until he was satisfied.

When he finished, he stood facing the Gryffindor, a scowl of derision on his pale face. "Very well, Miss Granger; you may leave," he sneered after a minute. When she didn't move, his frown deepened. "Well? Are you leaving?"

Hermione glanced at the ground. "Sir, I'd like my wand back. You said I could when I finished."

"I said _if_ you finished, Granger." He retrieved her wand from his desk and held it out for her to take. As she started to the door with a muttered 'sir', he drawled, "I will be seeing you at six tomorrow. Don't be late again."

Then she was gone.

As the door closed, Snape found himself exhausted and drained. Unsure as to why he was, he sat back at his desk and continued grading papers, thoughts running through his mind that he was not able to comprehend. What he had seen in Grangers mind disturbed him greatly. No, it wasn't that she had dreamed of that night so long ago. It was that last part that bothered him. When he had, in her dream, kissed the insufferable girl. He shuddered. Never…

* * *

Hermione rushed through the halls, desperate to get as far from the dungeons as possible. Though she had done well to conceal it, they made her nervous, and cold, though not completely physically cold.

She reached the portrait hole, muttered "blood and fire" hence the password, and hurried up to the girls dormitory. The others were already asleep. All except for one.

"Hermione, is that you?"

"Yes, Ginny, please go back to sleep," Hermione whispered.

"Where were you?" her friend asked through a huge yawn.

Hermione sighed as she settled into her warm bed. "I'll explain tomorrow, Ginny. Good night."

* * *

**A/N Hope you liked it! I rather enjoyed writing about the part with her detention, that was cool. Now, do me a favor and REVIEW! XD**


	3. Venom, Fur and Blood

**A/N Hey guys, sorry this chapter took so long in coming, sorry it is so short, and sorry for all the mistakes that you will probably find. Hopefully all the action and suspence will make up for the delay and length. I didn't have time to read over the entire thing, so just bear with me. It should be legible enough to read.**

**Also, I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I want to thank _RebeccaTwinTyler_ for the idea of the Frences. That was awesome, and I hope you like it. I added a few twists, so it should be alright. **

**And again, please review and let me know if you liked it! Thanks for reading! ~XCrookshanks**

* * *

When Hermione woke the next morning, her head was throbbing mercilessly. Groaning in pain, she struggled to sit up. Reaching for her wand, she realized it wasn't under her pillow where is usually was.

With a growing sense of horror, she sat up and her head cracked against a wooden beam crossing over her bed. She fell back against her pillow with a barely suppressed cry of pain as she stared above her at the odd array of beams crisscrossing her bed frame, her eyes flashing white spots as her head rang. She tried to sit up but only fell back again. How she hated Snape, the arrogant git. He did this to her, and she would have her revenge, however small. With a small but forced smile of satisfaction, she remembered the Dung Bomb she had planted in Snape's desk when he had left the room. She hoped he liked his little 'present.' It was just a small act of payback, but she was fine with it.

Just then, a snicker sounded outside her bed curtains and a voice whispered, "Do you think she's up yet?"

"I don't know! You check if you're so eager to find out!" replied another high whisper.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the sound of Ginny and Lavender Brown's voices. "I know you're there, Lavender, Ginny. What did you do with my wand?" she demanded in a tired voice.

The voices stopped abruptly. Then the curtains drew back to reveal the two girls standing there, giggling at her. When Ginny saw her, though, her laughs cut short and her eyes widened. "What happened to you Hermione?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer but at that moment Crookshanks, her orange Persian cat leaped on her chest, purring loudly. She smiled and stroked his ginger fur as he closed his green eyes contentedly. After a moment he was asleep.

"I'll tell you later," Hermione muttered.

Lavender looked ready to burst. "Please tell us," she begged. "Maybe we can help."

After hesitating a brief moment, Hermione said quietly, "Last night I had detention with Snape. He was trying to teach me Occlumency. He—he saw something I shouldn't have let him see."

Ginny gaped and Lavender just looked confused. "What did he see?" Ginny asked hoarsely, already guessing the answer. "Not the…" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

Hermione nodded miserably. "Yes, I tried everything to keep him out, but he's so much stronger in that subject, it was almost impossible." She hung her head. "I still don't know what he thought. He just acted as if nothing ever happened."

Lavender was lost. "What are you talking about?" she asked in an exasperated tone. "What did Snape see that you aren't letting me in on?"

Ginny gave Hermione a glance and whispered something in Lavenders ear. The blonde girl nodded ruefully and sighed. "Alright," she relented. Ginny smiled at her ruefully and Lavender left the room.

"What did you tell her?" Hermione asked incredulously.

Ginny snickered. "Oh, nothing, just that it was repulsive and she might not want to know."

Hermione stared at her a moment, shocked, then let out a snort of amusement. Ginny grinned and before long they were doubled over, cracking up. "You want to know something?" Hermione gasped, out of breath.

Ginny gazed at her and shook her head.

Hermione straightened her face as best she could. "I gave Snape a present!"

"You did _what_!" Ginny started. Her eyes widened and she clamped her hand over her mouth in disbelief. "What was it?"

Hermione snickered. "I left a Dung Bomb in his desk drawer." She couldn't hold it in any longer and she burst out laughing again, her headache long forgotten.

Ginny stared at her in shock a moment, then her face twisted into an awed expression. Then she too was laughing. After a few minutes they were both gasping for breath. "I can't believe it! What if he catches you?" The redhead was serious faced again. "You could get expelled."

Hermione sniffed with disdain. "Yeah, like they would believe the top-scoring student would go as low as to prank a teacher!"

"True," Ginny replied, but didn't laugh again. "My throat is sore now," she commented.

"Let's go down to breakfast, I'm starving!" Hermione rose from her bed and extended a hand to help her friend off the floor. They dressed quickly and had just entered the common room when Harry appeared from the boys' dormitories. He saw them and turned pointedly away as he pushed through the portrait hole. The two girls were more perplexed than ever as they followed him out into the deserted halls. As they headed for the Great Hall, they subconsciously made a wide detour around the unused hall.

Upon taking their usual seats at the Gryffindor table, they were joined by Fred and George Weasley, who sat directly across from them.

"So, did that bomb serve you well?" Fred asked Hermione with a wink.

"Yes, thank you," she replied with a grin. "We should be seeing the results about now…"

"What did you do with it?" George added, his face carved with its usual mischievous grin. "Or is it top secret like everything else you do?"

Hermione smirked. "I'll say one word, and that should explain it all." She paused dramatically. "_Snape_."

The twins burst out laughing and Fred said, "Well done, Hermione! We've been on to that greasy git all year! They would never suspect you for—"

He broke off as a shadow fell over them. "Suspect her for what, Weasley?" drawled a voice. A foul odor hung in the air as Professor Snape appeared at their shoulders, a sneer on his face. It was obvious he had found the Dung bomb. When no one answered, he snapped, "answer me boy, or I will give you detention the rest of the year!"

Fred quickly said, "Nothing sir, we were just talking about… what would happen if we were to try Apparating in the castle," he improvised smoothly.

Snape still looked suspicious, but after continuing to glare at them a moment more, he turned and swept away towards the Slytherin table. As he left earshot of the Gryffindor's, they sighed in relief. "That was really close," Ginny said with a scowl at the twins.

"Too close," Fred added jokingly.

Hermione gazed thoughtfully as Fred. "What would happen if we tried Apparating in the castle, eh?" she smirked. "Nice cover. It sure fooled Snape!" Anyone listening could have heard the sarcasm in her voice, and Ginny was quick to point it out.

"Yeah, and Snape'll give us a hundred points," she muttered.

Hermione hit her friend on the shoulder gently. "Lighten up, Ginny! You know he'll not suspect us, and even if he does, we can get out easy." Ginny shot her a grateful look and resumed eating. After about ten minutes, the twins left for Quidditch practice and the two girls were left alone.

Their classes that day went by quickly for Hermione, probably because she was dreading her detention. At dinner, she and Ginny were sitting alone. They remained silent until Ginny spoke.

"What is Snape having you do today?"

Hermione shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows, maybe…scrubbing desks again? Scouring the walls? Sorting paperwork?" She snorted dryly. "Who knows?"

Ginny snickered in reply. Pretty soon the hall was almost empty. As Ginny finished eating, she said, "I'm tired; I was thinking of heading back to Gryffindor tower early, since I don't have any more classes."

"That's fine," Hermione said. "I'll be up as soon as I'm done eating." Her friend nodded and left. The next time Hermione glanced at her watch, it said 4:22. She stood from the table and sauntered down the aisle to the large doors at the back. She wanted to take a quick catnap before her detention.

As she was walking through the empty corridors, she suddenly felt breath close to her ear.

"Bring your wand and traveling cloak tonight," came the unmistakable drawl of Professor Snape. She whipped around, her heart pounding in her chest, and saw the Potions master sweeping away from her. Slowing her rapid breaths, she wrung her hands to calm her nerves. What was she thinking? With a resigned sigh, she realized she couldn't answer that.

Continuing on her path, she wondered what Snape was going to have her do. It couldn't be good, seeing as he felt the need to remind her to bring her wand. And if she needed her traveling cloak, were they leaving the castle? Where could she possibly go for detention outside Hogwarts that was any worse than the dungeons? Hermione shook herself mentally. No need to work her nerves into frenzy before detention with Snape.

Upon arriving at the Common room, she saw that it, as were the halls, was empty. The others must have already gone to bed or were outside. She sat on a plush armchair by the dying fire and waited for 6 o'clock to roll around. As she watched the flickering, mesmerizing flames, she felt herself drifting off. She closed her eyes and gave in to sleep.

Jolting to consciousness a while later, a glance at the clock said it was 5:30. With a shrug, she thought, _May as well be early_. Standing from the chair, she stretched, lifting her arms above her head and emitting a huge yawn. She hoped tonight's detention wasn't too long. She walked across the still empty room and out the portrait hole, grabbing her black traveling cloak on the way out and slipping her wand into the front pocket.

As she strolled slowly down the deserted corridors, she had the odd sense of being watched, or followed. Whipping around, she scanned the halls behind her. Not a thing stirred or made a noise so she continued walking her pace unintentionally quickening.

Suddenly, a flash of black caught her attention and Draco Malfoy stepped out in her path, forcing her to stop. "Well, well, if it isn't the little Gryffindor Mudblood," he sneered. He strode forward and ran his long pale fingers along her jaw line. With a glare full of loathing, she growled and snatched herself from his reach. "What do you want, Malfoy?" She demanded, impatient to keep going; if she didn't hurry, she would be late and she was sure Snape wouldn't be at all pleased if she was.

Abruptly, Malfoy's eyes flashed and he advanced rapidly on her, forcing her back. She was stopped as she hit solid wall, but Malfoy kept coming until he was barely a foot from her. "What are you doing out this time, Mudblood?" he hissed softly. "Don't you know it's your bedtime?" he spat in her face. She turned her head away from him, but he just clamped his hands on either side of her face and yanked her to look at him. He stepped forward and was suddenly pinning her to the wall with his body. She let out a small gasp as the air was squeezed from her lungs and he slammed his arm against her neck, causing her to emit a strangled squeak as her airway was cut off. Hermione clawed desperately at his hand, trying to get him off her but to no avail.

"Not so strong without your friends now are you, Granger? Obviously can't take care of yourself," he mocked, his face mere inches from hers. He laughed at her futile attempts to dislodge him. At that moment, as Hermione's vision was fading to blackness, a shadow fell over them and an unmistakable voice said, "What is the meaning of this, Draco?"

Hermione went limp with relief, and as Draco stepped away from her, she fell forward. The last thing she saw was Professor Snape reaching out reluctantly to catch her as she crumpled to the ground.

* * *

As the unconscious Gryffindor collapsed in his arms, Snape wrinkled his nose in disgust. After setting her against the wall none too gently, he turned on Draco. "What were you thinking?" he hissed. "You could have been expelled had she died!" The blonde boy on the floor picked himself up and glared at his Head of House with a gleam in his eye.

"Are you defending her now?" he demanded with a slight mock in his voice. "Not going soft are you?"

Snape narrowed his eyes menacingly, but to Draco's credit he didn't flinch. "First of all, I am most certainly not defending her, nor am I going soft. Second, the Dark Lord cannot afford to let you be expelled. You are needed here." He lowered his voice. "If you are suspended, it could ruin everything." Snape glared at the defiant boy in front of him a moment longer then turned and with a flick of his wand aroused Hermione. Draco turned and stalked away.

* * *

Hermione blinked her eyes open and waited for her vision to clear. When it did, she glanced up to see Snape standing a yard or two to her left, an impatient glare plastered on his pale face. With hurried movements she scrambled to her feet just as a massive wave of dizziness hit her and she reached out to support herself against the wall, only to find it out of her reach. As she braced herself to collapse again, a hand grasped her arm, keeping her upright until her mind cleared. She glanced over to see Snape yank his hand away from her and turn around to stride briskly away from her. She followed just as quickly, still confused as to why he had told Malfoy off.

They arrived at the main doors and Snape pushed them open effortlessly before stepping out into the stinging air. He practically flew down the front steps and headed straight for…

"The Dark Forest," Hermione stated curiously.

"Yes, the Dark Forest, vigilant girl, eh?" Snape sneered sarcastically. "I am just about out of Frences fur, and I need to restock." He explained shortly.

"A what?" Hermione stared at him in surprise. "I've never heard of a Frences."

"Of course not; books can't tell you everything," he sneered. "A Frences is a huge fox-like creature that is extremely rare, with many positive traits. Their blood, if fresh, can counter any kind of venom or poison, no matter the venoms' strength or potentness. Some hospitals, such as St. Mungo's, keep live Frences for that reason exactly. No other potions ingredient is as complex or efficient. Their golden fur is said to good luck. It hasn't been proven, but some believe that carrying it around can bring good fortune, or prevent nightmares. It's most incredible ability, though, is when it is added to boiled water and a few drops of dragons' blood, it can help relive depression. However, if taken repeatedly," he added with a smirk, "it can cause the taker to go mad, no longer believing anything is real."

Hermione's eyes were wide, but only with curiosity. "Why does it do that?"

Snape glanced at her quickly before continuing to stare ahead of him. "When taken, it replaces darkness with pure and happy thoughts. Too many of those can ruin a mind. They would be lost in their own memories…" He trailed off, lost in his own thoughts.

Hermione took his lapse of concentration to ponder what he had just told her. If that was true, why would anyone take it in the fist place? Why risk it? Just the thought of being lost in her own memories made her shudder. At that moment Snape pulled to a halt so suddenly Hermione almost ran right into him. She pulled up and he held his arm out in the unneeded fashion to stop her.

"The Frences lives in dark; they prefer it. For a while I've had a presumption that one is living in the Dark Forest. I thought it would be a suitable time to come tonight." He glared at her and started walking slowly into the Dark Forest. He continued his lecture in a faint whisper, "Their fur is golden, and their white eyes aren't visible unless you look straight at them. They are harmless at first glance, but if agitated, can be more deadly that a Basilisk, something I'm sure you've had experience with," he added roguishly.

Hermione shook her head. "No, sir, I wasn't with Harry and Ron when they were fighting the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. I was paralyzed, remember?"

Snape snorted and said, "Well, you obviously had a bit of knowledge on them, seeing as how you helped them without even being there. I would think you to run headlong into battle without proper _books _for guidance," he said the word scornfully.

She just snickered quietly and said to herself, "Yeah, you'd be surprised what books can teach you." He turned his head sharply towards her, but the Gryffindor just smiled at him. He scowled and turned forward again. She always had a deep sense of satisfaction when she got on the Potions master's nerves, like now.

"Can you manage on your own?" Snape suddenly said. Surprised, Hermione nodded and Snape continued. "Then we will split up. Search for prints, snagged fur, anything. If you find anything, send green sparks into the air. If something attacks you, or something goes wrong, send up red sparks and I will find you. Do you understand?"

Hermione realized with a jolt of shock that his expression, which he usually masked, was one of fear, for what she didn't know, but it was there. She nodded. "Where should I go?" Honestly, she was nervous about leaving him. He may be the most hated teacher in the school, but he was still her professor and superior.

When she asked the question, he looked faintly amused. "Find something a book can't teach you, eh?" he smirked maliciously. Before she could retort, he added, "If you hadn't asked that, I would have been astounded. There's not a book in the world to teach you where to find a Frences."

Hermione didn't respond. How could she, when her least favorite teacher had just told her not everything there was to know came in books? Where else would the knowledge come from?

"You can go that way," Snape continued, gesturing to their left where the trees began thinning, but just barely. "I'll go that way—" a wave the opposite direction, "—and we meet back here in an hour. Watch your back at all times," he added seriously. "Keep your wand at ready. Now go," he watched as she cautiously picked her way through the brambles and shadowed underbrush. She vanished around a bend and he turned.

With a muttered "Lumos" Snapes wand lit and he started out into the unknown. He took that time to reflect on his life the past few days. After he had reluctantly mentored Granger in Occlumency, looking back on it now made him regret it. Yes, he had seen her dream. And yes, she had begged him not to look at it. Yet doing so would have made her think less of him as a teacher, not that he didn't want her to. He had been given an assignment to gain her trust and bring her before the Dark Lord, and he was going to do as was his obligation.

But just the thought of turning the girl over to the most evil wizard of the century made his stomach clench. He hated it, but he felt inclined to tell Dumbledore everything, from the first day in the presence of the Dark Lord to now. Yet if he did, he would be imprisoned, tortured, and, eventually, killed, for treachery on his vow. Snape was torn between his loyalties to Dumbledore and his fear of Voldemort. He would rather fight a thousand dementors than chose between loyalty and fear. Then he snickered at his naïveté and lack of consideration. Of course it would come to a choice, what was he thinking? What worried him was what he might choose.

While he had been lost in thought, Snape hadn't noticed the sudden quietness in the air, and he suddenly felt like he was being watched. Whipping his wand around at a crack behind him, he barely had time to inhale before a hard, hairy _something_ smashed him across the face and chest, hurling him across the cramped clearing to slam hard into a thick, gnarled tree, knocking the breath from his lungs and causing white hot pain to course through his body. He groaned in agony. As his vision faded to blackness, the last thing he saw were eight huge, glowing yellow eyes glaring down at him.

* * *

Hermione whipped around sharply as a twig snapped behind her. A dark, huge shape lumbered towards her and she prepared to hit it with a spell when a familiar voice rang out towards her.

"What'r ya doin' out 'ere?"

A sigh of relief escaped her as Hagrid stepped into her wands' faint light. "Hagrid!" Then, realizing he didn't know her situation, quickly explained. "I got a detention with Professor Snape, and he decided we should come out here to look for Frences fur, and—"

"Frences?" he broke in incredulously. "There ain't none o' them cre'tures out 'ere in ye'rs," Hagrid stated. "They'd all gone, left', I think. Why woul' yeh be looking fer them anyway?"

"Snape said he was out of the fur, and he needed to restock."

"Well, yeh won't find none 'ere. Been searchin' meself fer months, not a sign." Hagrid glanced around, only then noticing Snape wasn't present. "And were migh' Professor Snape be?"

Hermione glanced at her feet. "We split up. He said it would be faster than if we were together."

Hagrid looked horror stricken. "He cain't be ou' hisself, it's too dangerous! Which way di' he—"

He was cut off as a high screeching sounded through the forest, reverberating off the dense trees. It was faint, like it was far off, but unmistakable. Hagrid stared in the direction it had come and muttered in a low voice, "Aragog." His face twisted into an expression of dread. "He on'y makes tha' sound when a human enters his ter'tory. That must mean…"

Hermione suddenly caught his meaning and realized what he was saying. She opened her mouth to speak but Hagrid had already started briskly in the direction from which the sound had come. With a sigh, she started after him, running hard to keep up with his long, easy strides.

As they rounded a sharp turn, another wail echoed ahead, much closer than before. The half giant quickened his pace, and Hermione started panting from trying to keep up. She made a mental note to never run a marathon with Hagrid.

They rounded a bend and Hermione almost ran headlong into Hagrid, who had pulled to a halt. As she stepped around him as to what had induced such a reaction, she saw Snape.

He was sprawled on the ground, his head thrown back and his limps twisted at odd angles. A nasty gash on his face was spurting crimson blood and his wand was laying on the ground next to him, snapped in two. But it wasn't her professors' condition that made Hermione shriek. It was the seven foot high, black-as-night, viciously intimidating spider crouched over him, its deadly fangs buried deep in Snape's arm.

Hagrid stormed towards the arachnid with rage flaming in his eyes. He waved his arms menacingly. "Git out, yeh vile cre'ture!" he thundered, his actions clearly showing he was prepared to beat the spider if needed. "Go on, scram, yeh ruddy, oversized devil!" Aragog didn't show any signs of leaving; instead he raised his head and glared at the bulky figure hurtling towards him. Hagrid was in arms reach and he started pounding at Aragog, who backed away slowly.

When they were well out of her way, Hermione rushed over to where Snape still lay, not stirring. His chest was barely moving and Hermione knew his time was limited as the spider venom took effect. Frantically pulling out her wand, she muttered an incantation and the gash on his cheek slowly healed until it was as if it was never there. That taken care of, she inspected the bite in his arm. It was already turning a nasty shade of purple and green, and was swollen terribly due to the spider venom. Racking her brain, she searched every spell and potion she knew for poison or… then it hit her.

"Their blood, if fresh, can counter any kind of venom or poison…No other potions ingredient is as complex or efficient…" Snapes own words rang in her ears and she knew what she had to do. Standing, she glanced around for Hagrid. He was just emerging from the shadows and he hurried over to her.

"How is 'e?" he demanded, concern and remorse clear in his rough voice. He didn't wait for an answer. "I should'e knowed Aragog would be 'ere, he hates intruders. It's all my fault." His voice broke and Hermione glanced at him in surprise.

"Hagrid," she soothed, "It's not your fault; you couldn't have known Aragog would be here, no one knew. Listen, I need your help. Stay here with Professor Snape; make sure nothing else comes to hurt him any more. I—I need to find something." She avoided her friends' eyes, knowing he would want to know. She was not to be disappointed.

"Fin' what?" Hagrid asked curiously. "Nothin' 'ere I hope, yeh cain't go off on yer own."

"Hagrid listen, if I don't, he will die." Hermione's voice rose and took on a desperate tone. "You have to trust me. Please."

Hagrid turned his head and sighed audibly before replying. "Fine. But keep yer wand out an' watch yer back at all time. Don' let that devil get the better o' yeh."

Hermione chuckled quietly at his words, almost exactly the same as Snapes' earlier. "I will." She cast one more regretful glance at the Potions Masters' unconscious, unmoving body before turning to face the darkness and, probably, her doom. As she headed deeper into the unfamiliar territory, she realized she hadn't a clue of what to look for pertaining to Frences' trails. For a moment, she recalled everything Professor Snape had told her about the creatures. Golden fur, white eyes, sharp claws, harmless unless provoked... She shook her head. It was no use. Her best bet was to search for the fur or for prints with distinct claws. Scanning the ground carefully, she trekked onward. After about ten minutes and no sign of anything, Frences or not, she was starting to get discouraged. It was, inadvertently then, that a flash of gold caught her eye. Turning sharply, she stared into the darkness.

Nothing.

After a moment of watching, and seeing nix, she continued on, chary yet excited by the flash of color. Her wand hand was shivering, causing the light spilling from the tip to seem watery as it shimmered. She proceeded at a slower pace, hoping to see…whatever it was…again. What happened next took Hermione completely unawares.

A twig snapped behind her… Pounding paws thundered towards her… She barely had time to breathe… Something hurtled at her… It slammed into her chest, driving the breath from her body… She was pinned by a huge furry something… claws dug into her skin…

She stared above her, horrified, and saw—white eyes?—staring down at her. Then it started licking her face. She lifted her wand to illuminate the creature and saw golden fur; she gasped. She'd done it! _She'd found the Frences_!

She reached up to scratch behind its ear, surprised it was so friendly. The Frences suddenly jumped off her and sat, waiting for her to stand. When she did, she inspected the friendly creature closely.

It stood with the top of its head about as high as her shoulder. Its eyes were not white, as she had thought, but a stunning shade of emerald. It had cat-like proportions, but the snout was that of a fox. Its golden fur seemed to emanate its own glow and Hermione was struck with how different yet familiar the creature seemed, as if she'd seen it before. As she watched the Frences leaped into the air, sailing well over her head to land behind her and crouch, its tail a blur as it watched her happily. She laughed and bent down, extending her hand towards it. It bounded forward and, to Hermione's surprise, gently took her hand in its mouth. With a tug, it started leading her…

"Oh, no, Professor Snape!" she suddenly gasped, remembering. She yanked her hand from the Frences mouth and instantly regretted it. The golden creature reeled on her, snarling angrily. She put her hands up. It advanced on her and she said quickly, "I won't hurt you; I just need your help!"

It froze and cocked its head, letting out a sharp bark. Instinctively she pulled out her wand, but it took up defensive, narrowing its eyes menacingly. Amused at its sensitivity, she said, hoping it could understand her, "I just need to cast a spell to understand you. It won't hurt you," she explained. It still seemed suspicious but sat slowly down, not looking at her. "Translacio," she murmured. A faint blue light shot towards and hit the Frences in the chest. It yelped in surprise and rage.

"What was that for?" the Frences snapped at her in an unmistakable females voice. A young one at that.

Hermione smiled. "Now I can understand you," she said haughtily.

"Yeah, right, I doubt that very much," she sniffed. "You're just hallucinating."

"I'm not pretending; I really can understand you. Go on, say anything."

"You shall not fool me, for I, Safire, queen of Frences, am not going to fall for it."

"Your name is Safire? That's a beautiful name! I'm Hermione."

The Frences, Safire, gaped, her perfect white fangs showing. "How—how can you… what?" She closed her mouth, casting Hermione a sideways glance. "You knew this would happen."

Hermione nodded. "Of course, that's why I cast that charm. It makes the caster able to understand the person or creature it was cast upon." She tried to act casual as she said, "I came here to ask you a favor."

Safire lifted her graceful head. "And what might that be?" she barked, her eyes showing interest. "What could you possibly ask of me?"

So Hermione explained. She told of her detention with Snape, what he had explained, and why they were here. When she got to the part when Aragog attacked the Potions Master, Safire broke in with a low growl.

"That arrogant spider! He's been no good since he was hatched, that—that…" she trailed, her fur prickling and her eyes furious.

"Calm down!" Hermione urged anxiously "The thing is, Aragog attacked Professor Snape, and only you can help him. If you don't, he could die." For some reason Hermione couldn't fathom, she felt a twinge at the thought of Snape dying.

"How could I help with that?" Safire asked. "And what's in it for me?"

Hermione sighed. "He told me the—the blood of a Frences could counter any type of poison or venom. That's why you're his only hope. I just need you to do this one thing for me. And as for something in exchange for this, is there anything you want?"

Safire rolled her green eyes and shook her head. "No, I don't want anything. But, if I help you, you cant tell anyone I am here. I prefer my…seclusion." She snickered.

Hermione nodded and said, "So you'll help me?"

Safire nodded. "Show me where he is."

* * *

**A/N Please review, it would really help! Three reviews is kind of disappointing, can we try for eight? And if you can, answer this me: How long should I continue this FanFiction? Thanks!**


	4. The Unexpected

**A/N So, I have one thing to say about this chapter: A lot of things can happen in a single chapter... Hope you like it! I love this one the best by far, so enjoy!**

* * *

Safire led Hermione, who was following swiftly behind, towards the clearing where Snape and Hagrid were. As they hurried through the trees, Hermione had allowed Safire to lead since the Frences obviously knew these parts well. After winding through brambles, ducking under overhangs, and squeezing through tight places, Hermione was so turned around she would surely be lost by now had it not been for Safire. She was still surprised at how easily Safire had agreed to help her. She thought she would put up a much bigger fight, or show more resistance. Instead, it hadn't been hardly any trouble, for which Hermione was grateful. Professor Snape couldn't afford any more delays. As the setting became more familiar, an agonized groaning met them. Safire pricked her pointed ears, while Hermione strained to hear where it originated from.

"That sounds like…" she couldn't bring herself to say it. She just hoped it wasn't what she thought. Suddenly realizing Safire had continued walking and was already several paces ahead of her, she hurried to catch up. Safire flashed a quick glance at the Gryffindor before focusing again on the road ahead of her. They continued on for another ten paces or so and stepped into the clearing. Hagrid was crouched at the edge, not far from where they appeared, watching the surrounding shadows. As they came in his sight, he leaped up, prepped for battling anything, but he quickly relaxed when he recognized Hermione. Then he spotted Safire sitting at her side.

"Yeh found it!" he exclaimed.

Safire snarled and Hermione translated. "She doesn't like being called 'it', her name is Safire."

Hagrid nodded. "O' course, but we gotta hurry, Snape looks pre'y bad, he's not got long." He gestured towards the still motionless mound of robes a few feet away. "What yeh goin' to do?" he inquired.

Hermione didn't answer, instead crouching near the unconscious Potions Master and beckoning Safire. She obliged and inspected the nasty wound. She hissed softly, her eyes widening at the sight. "It's been very long since it happened. If it took us that amount of time to get back here, then it was more than twice that, making it about…" Hermione consulted her watch. "About forty minutes. Would it still…?" Her eyes pleaded with the Frences to say it would work, despite the lengthy delay.

Safire looked thoughtful before she replied, her words measured and slow. "If the wound is still open, it should work. His body might not take it though. If that happens…" she trailed and Hermione gasped, realizing what she was saying. "If that happens, he would die within ten minutes."

Hermione was shocked to feel a hot tear roll down her cheek. Quickly wiping it away, she said, "Let's hurry then. Do you know what to do? Because I'm not sure I do…"

Safire nodded her furry head and stepped assertively over to stand over Snape. Lifting a front paw, she bared her pointed fangs and, with a sharp jerk, sliced her paw open, blood spilling slowly from the cut. She held her paw over the spider bite in Snapes arm and Hermione watched with bated breath as a few drops of crimson blood dripped onto his skin, soaking into the wound. Safire watched as it disappeared, then stepped back to sit by Hermione, who was waiting apprehensively for something to happen. "It should start working, if he takes it…"

It was then Hermione's breath caught in her throat. Steam was starting to vent from Snapes body, and a moment later he seized, his back arching, his breath coming in rapid gasps. His eyelids flickered open, his eyes rolling wildly in their sockets. His mouth gaped and a thick, cloudy liquid formed on his face and arms in sheen. Hermione stared in horror and half stood as he slowly went limp, his breath shallower than before. His mouth closed and, to Hermione's complete unreserved horror, his chest stopped rising and his black eyes stared blankly into space. Safire buried her head in her paws, soft whimpers emitting from her throat. Hagrid bent his head in grief while Hermione stared in shock and wretchedness.

Silence hung heavily in the air.

After a moment, Safire lifted her head and whispered quietly, "I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault, Safire. You—you couldn't have done anything about it. I just wish I'd had the time to—to thank him for…" Hermione froze and Safire stared at her concernedly.

"Thank him for what?" she asked with wide eyes.

"I—I for saving my life all those years ago, that's it!" Hermione jumped and grabbed her wand, then it hit her. "I don't know the spell."

"Wha' spell ar yeh talkin' abou'?" Hagrid suddenly asked. "I'm kinda lost 'ere."

Hermione sighed and explained. "In my fourth year, Ginny woke me, late in the night, because she saw red sparks in the Dark Forest and thought someone was in trouble. So we told Harry and Ron and went to check it out. Turns out it was a couple of Death Eaters, and started attacking us. One of them killed Ron and started dueling Harry. I took the other one, and Stunned him, but then Harry blasted the first one, who threw me against a tree. Suddenly I couldn't move. I—I think my spine was broken. All at once they started retreating. I saw a cloaked figure heading our way, but as the last Death Eater started running away, he said the Killing Curse at me, and…" She paused, replaying the awful memory. "Then I woke up, and found myself in Kings Cross station. No one was there. It was glowing brightly, and…I think I was dead, because Snape suddenly appeared out of no where and told me that was where people who die go. Then he just kind of, I don't know, brought me back to Hogwarts."

"I've heard of that spell!"

Hermione stared at the excited Frences next to her. "You do? Do you know how it goes?" Her excitement was infectious, as Hagrid was looking brighter as well.

Safire cocked her head and nodded slowly. "I think so… the caster chants 'Sivrisedeth' and… I'm afraid my memory is slow… and must, I guess you could say, bond your soul with the soul of the one who died… I believe… forgive me, I can't think," Safire apologized.

"That's fine, Safire, that's all we need." She turned to the lifeless corpse and took a deep breath. "Will you help me if I need it?" she asked.

"Of course," Safire said, and Hagrid nodded agreement.

She nodded and sat on the hard, cold ground next to the Potions Masters' unmoving body. Hesitating a moment, she looked up. "What if something goes wrong? Will…will I die too?"

Safire shook her head. "If anything goes wrong, which is highly unlikely, you will just be pulled from his soul and return here. He would remain…dead."

Hermione gulped, but before she could hesitate any longer, she rested her hand over Snapes', shocked at how cold it was. Lifting her wand, she flicked it in a complex pattern, and began the incantation.

"Sivrisedeth… Sivrisedeth… Sivrisedeth…" A thin tendril of emerald magic spilled from the tip of her wand, swirling around hers and Professor Snapes body.

"Sivrisedeth… Sivrisedeth…" She continued chanting, her voice growing weaker.

"Sivrisedeth…" She stiffened as a few wisps of magic entered her mouth and scurried down her throat, sending chills through her body.

"Sivrisedeth…" A strange burning started in the center of her chest, and she doubled over as the throbbing exploded into white hot pain.

"Sivrisedeth…" It spread through her until she was sure she would never make it out of this alive.

"Sivrisedeth… " Suddenly she gasped as the magic seeped out of her mouth again, bright bluish silver now.

"Sivrise—" Her vision and voice faded without warning and the last thing she saw was the bizarre sapphire magic sinking into Professor Snapes' chest.

Hermione slammed down on hard ground. She sat up, shaking the stars from her eyes, and gasped. She was at Kings Cross! _She'd done it_! Now to find Snape…

"Miss Granger, what are you doing?"

Hermione whipped around and gaped. There he was, standing in front of her. But as she stared closely, she realized something that turned her blood cold. She could see right through him! "Professor! I—I was just… you died… and I didn't want to have to explain… so I just…"

"Let me guess," Snape sneered. "You decided to use the Soul Binding spell." He glowered at the young girl in front of him. "Do you not know anything? If that is the spell you used, I say congratulations." His voice dripped with undisguised sarcasm. "You are now a Dark Magic user."

Hermione's heart sank to her feet and a small cry escaped her. What had she done?

"I'm sorry Professor, I—I didn't want you to…" she broke off. "I came here to bring you back, like you did, three years ago…"

"You remember that?" Snapes face took on a peculiar expression. "Why? Why would you want to help me?"

Hermione glanced at her feet in discomfiture. "I don't want you to die…" she muttered quietly.

The dark man in front of her froze, though not enough for her to realize. "What was that?" he whispered sinisterly, though he had heard her clearly.

Hermione glanced up at him. "I said—" she broke off. She could barely see the Potions Master now. He was fading fast… "I just need to get you back, we don't have long!" her voice was desperate. "Can you tell me how? I didn't really think that far ahead…"

Snape snarled but explained. Hermione nodded and slowly held out her hand for him to take. He did so resentfully, locking their fingers cautiously and causing her to flinch. Hermione stifled the urge to yank her hand away and muttered the reversing spell. "Reternixist… Reternixist…" She focused on them returning to their own bodies as the breeze picked up. It swirled around the two, causing their robes to tremble around wildly. Suddenly they were lifted off their feet. Hermione subconsciously gripped Snapes hand tighter, but he didn't protest; instead, he allowed himself a smirk at her fear and inexperience.

They once again traveled through the void, and once again slammed down hard upon returning. But something was wrong. Snape sensed something, or rather, lack of something. It caused a shiver of anxiety.

Professor Snape came to first. He sat up groggily and blinked a few times to clear his vision. Abruptly a bolt of pain erupted from his shoulder, causing him to start falling back again. A burly arm caught him and helped him to his feet.

"Yeh'll be a'right, Professor," came a distant voice. "Nasty cut yeh got 'ere, yeh nearly left us."

Snape pushed the arm away, bracing himself against a thick tree as he waited, a second time, for his vision to clear. When it did, he cringed at the throbbing in his shoulder. He scanned his surroundings, and it was then he realized he was still in the Dark Forest, in the same clearing as before. Hagrid was standing a bit to his left, watching him concernedly. And on the ground next to the half-giant was…

"Oh, great Merlin…" Snape muttered as he stared at Grangers' unmoving body. Their interaction a few moments ago came rushing back and he realized she should have come to by now. Then he remembered the… feeling moments before coming to. Hagrid, unfortunately, caught him staring and explained.

"She was gonna bring yeh back, we tol' her wha' could happen. She didn' listen, only cared 'bout gettin' you back 'ere" He paused.

"Yes, so good to see you well, Professor Snape. Or, at least, as well as I've seen you."

Snape started at the females' voice coming from behind him. He turned his head and stared. "Are you a Frences?" he managed.

The golden creature lifted her head. "Yes, I am Safire. Hermione has told me so much about you. You were fortunate to have such a bright girl as your student."

"Wait, I _was_ fortunate? She still is my student isn't she?" Snape watched the Frences quizzically.

Safire bowed her head sadly. "Yes, was. She got you out alive, but she… she couldn't handle the strain of the spell. It was too much for her."

Snape shook his head. "No, she's just taking a while to recover." He was trying to convince himself as well as them. "She'll come around."

But Hermione didn't stir. Her form was perfectly still, almost peaceful. Snape had trouble grasping the fact that she really was gone. He considered using the Soul Binding spell to bring her back, but using it more than once in a certain era of time could kill them both, permanently. Suddenly, he realized he needed to see Dumbledore. Turning to Hagrid, he asked if he would carry her there. When Hagrid agreed, Safire stepped up. "What about me? Hermione and I agreed that if I helped save your life, she would keep my presence here a secret. And now, she needs me, and I would ask if I could join you in telling Professor Dumbledore. I would be most grateful, and I might have something in return for your allowing me."

Snape opened his mouth to refuse her help when her words sunk in. "Very well," he said emotionlessly.

Hagrid bent down to scoop Hermione into his arms, and Snape turned away, not bearing the sight of her lifeless body hanging limp. She had saved his life, and died in doing so. It was his turn to return the favor. He led the way from the forest, Hagrid and Safire right behind. As they stepped out onto the front lawn of Hogwarts, Ginny and Harry came running over. Snape snarled in annoyance. "Fifty points from Gryffindor for—"

"No, sir, please, where is Hermione?" Ginny begged. "It's past midnight, she said she would be back before—" Her words froze in her throat as Hagrid appeared. "No, no…" Ginny and Harry backpedaled at the sight of their friend, dead. The redhead didn't even look at Snape as Hagrid approached. Harry, on the other hand, stalked up to Snape.

"You—you bastard! How could you let this happen! I swear, when I get my hands on you—" His face was a scarlet and his hand reached for his wand, aiming it straight at Snapes face. "You'll pay, Snape!" He snarled furiously. To Snapes horror, Harry's skin started turning a darker shade and fur sprouted on his arms. His eyes turned a bright yellow and his pupils narrowed like a cats'. The Xi'an was emerging…

"Harry, _don't_!"

Ginny grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the Slytherin Head of House before a spell could be cast. "It's not his fault Harry! It was Hermione!"

Harry reeled on her, yellow eyes blazing. "_What_? Hermione wouldn't kill herself! Have you gone _insane_?"

Ginny saw the changes coming over her friend, but she was trying to make him see reason to notice. Her eyes begged desperately with her friend, trying to make him understand. "Hagrid just told me everything, Harry. He said that Hermione gave up her life willingly."

"_Why_?"

"To give Professor Snape his life back. She did it willingly, Harry, try to understand!"

"Understand what? That she died for that—that arrogant git? I can't believe that. She hates him, she told me herself."

"Well, obviously things have changed!"

Harry stared at Ginny with shock, surprise, and above all, hurt. "You don't mean that, do you?" he asked; his voice was suddenly shaky. "Do you really think that?"

Ginny nodded sadly, her eyes sympathetic.

Harry stared blankly into the distance, his eyes betraying his feelings. His hands dropped to his side and he clenched his teeth. The fur on his arms and face disappeared, to Snapes relief. "I trusted her. I trusted her! And she does—_this_? How could she…" He trailed off and wheeled around to stalk back to Hogwarts where he quickly disappeared through the front doors.

Professor Snape had been watching the conversation unfold with mixed emotions. So, Granger had said she hated him. That surprised him. She never hated any of her teachers, but now…Why should he care if she hated him? Every other student did; so why did he feel so bad for making her, of all people, the insufferable know-it-all, hate him? He shook himself mentally. No time for going soft or having feelings. He pulled himself from his thoughts and watched as Ginny stepped forward to stand next to Hagrid.

"Please, tell me what happened," Snape caught her whisper. Before Hagrid could answer, however, Snape intervened.

"Miss Granger is in critical condition, Miss Weasley; we are on our way to see the Headmaster. If you would like to delay us and lower her chances, you may. Otherwise, I suggest you return to your dormitory."

Ginny glared at him a moment before following Harry. Snape sighed resignedly. When would those incompetent Gryffindors going to learn? He had already missed his chance at docking fifty points—each—for being out so late, but now he was also trying to save ones life. He kicked himself mentally. It was the girl, she was warping his character. The Dark Lord had asked for her, and now that he was fulfilling his stipulation, he found himself reluctant, for no apparent reason. Was he…? No, the prospect was too preposterous. Of course he wasn't. He just didn't want to see an innocent child tortured. _She's a teenager, Severus_, his subconscious mind chided him. He pushed the thought away. Child, teenager, there wasn't a difference. Besides, if he was going to continue this…sedition for the Dark Lord, he would have to do whatever was asked. No exceptions. He sighed at his complicated life. How he wished he was younger, still a student at Hogwarts, no uncertainties but classes and schoolwork, occasionally O.W.L.'s or N.E.W.T.'s at the end of term. Instead, he relented to Voldemort's rule. The day he became a Death Eater was the day his life turned inside out. No more holidays, breaks, or any type of relaxation. Only days filed with the dread of torture and murder under Voldemort's command. How he hated that life.

"Are yeh comin'?" Hagrid's call jolted Snape to the present. "She ain't getting' any better." The half-giant had started off again, Safire balanced dexterously on his shoulder, and was patiently waiting for Snape. The dark man swept over to join them with his usual scowl, and they continued on to Dumbledore's office. Hurrying down the hall, Snape was glad it was late; otherwise, he would be receiving curious stares from every viewpoint.

Upon arriving at the stone gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's quarters, they found they were not the only visitors at the time. A young girl with long wavy blonde hair was pacing near the entrance. She suddenly stared, frozen, as Snape and Hagrid appeared. She seemed to be a first or second year, and she quickly hurried away at the sight of the Potions Master stalking towards her.

They stopped in front of the gargoyle and Snape muttered, "Licorice wands," hence the password. As the stone moved to the side, they started up the spiraling staircase. Arriving at the door to the Headmasters office, Snape rapped three times on the smooth wood and stepped back.

"Yes?" Dumbledore opened the door and was surprisingly alert for one so late at night. Upon seeing the two Professors, he quickly beckoned them in, having not seen Hermione yet. "What might I ask, do I owe the pleasure of your visit at this—" He paused when Hagrid passed near him to enter the room. "Oh, my, what happened?" He hurried to shut the door and return to his desk, where, as was apparent, he had been previously sorting Ministry papers. "Please explain, Severus."

So he did. From the moment they entered the forest, to that moment. When he stiffly explained that Hermione had given her life to save his, Dumbledore had mixed emotions. First was, of course, surprise. The second was most peculiar, amusement. Why should he be amused at a student dying? For the most hated teacher in Hogwarts, at that. He was even more surprised when Severus explained the means used to do the action. _Dark Magic should not be used by students_, he thought, interested. _But she couldn't have known what it was,_ his subconscious mind countered. Instead of arguing the futile in his mind, he returned to Severus' explanation just as he was relating his carefully thought plan to revive her. "It is an interesting idea," he commented with a thoughtful look. "But the probable side effects are almost not even worth it. Why take that chance?"

"Because she is needed," Snape snapped; his usual fathomless expression quirked slightly and he quickly reposed himself. "The Dark Lord has found… need… of the girl. He has entrusted me with the undertaking of turning her over to him. His reprimand for failure is torture or, most likely, death." Dumbledore noticed a faint glimmer in Snapes eye. _Fear?_

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked. "If you follow through with Voldemort's order—" Snape flinched at the casual use of the name "—and take her to him, do you know what his plans with her are?"

Snape inclined his head and stared fiercely at the aged wizard in font of him. "No, the Dark Lord never explains them with anyone."

Dumbledore nodded slowly, then, noticing Hagrid starting to look uncomfortable, he smiled grimly. "If you want to leave, Hagrid, you may."

"I think I will, if yeh don' mind." Hagrid stood and left the room.

"Severus, if I may suggest, there is a way to bring her back, but with dire consequences on your behalf." Dumbledore was cautious to bring it up, but his face was set.

Snape looked interested, but he quickly hid the fact. "Why do you say that, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled grimly and explained. "There is a spell, a rather rare spell that can reunite the soul with the body, thus returning life to the deceased." He hesitated before continuing quietly. "However, the one wanting to cast the spell must give something up. Something every witch and wizard has. They must surrender their magic."

Severus gaped openly at the Headmaster, a rare thing for the secluded professor. "What are you saying? If I bring her back, I will have no more magic? What if I refuse to give it up?"

"Severus, in casting the incantation, you would use every drop of magic in your being. There is no choice in the matter. If you wish to do so, you know the cost."

He narrowed his eyes at the wizened man before him. "And you expect me to give up my magic for her?" He snorted derisively. "I highly doubt that!"

Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes in resignation. "Very well. But, there is a way to reclaim your magic once you perform the spell. If you would even remotely consider the possibility of casting it, I will tell you. If not, I see no need to do so."

Snape curled his lip. "Very well, I shall consider it. Now, tell me!"

To his surprise Dumbledore chuckled. "Impatient, impatient, are we? Very well, I said I would, and I will follow through. The one, and only, I might add, to regain your magic once giving it up is very easy for some to accomplish; for you, though, I should think differently," he added with a twinkle in his eye. "If I am to explain it, I must tell you where the spell came from; else you would not understand the origins of this… cure."

"About a hundred and seventy years ago, a witch named Delacroix Shadoz produced this complex charm. She was sixteen at the time. Her only friend, Savvy Remun, was ruthlessly murdered by the killing curse when they were attacked by a wizard escaped from Azkaban. Heartbroken at the loss, she started putting together a spell that would hopefully bring her back. When young Delacroix felt she had accomplished her desire, she took her wand and, with a very intricate series of movements, she performed the spell. Instantly, she felt herself weaken, and she fell unconscious. When she awoke, her friend was no where to be seen. She went to cast a spell that would help her find Savvy, but she found she could not remember the words to perform it. Distraught she set out to find Savvy the old fashioned way. When she did find her friend, she kept the fact she could not use magic to herself. Eventually, Delacroix was forced to tell her, and after that, Savvy decided she couldn't be with a witch that could do no magic, so she left Delacroix. They never saw each other again."

Severus rolled his eyes. "How does that tell me how I'm supposed to get magic back, should I choose to do this spell?"

Dumbledore shook his head amusedly. "Listen, Severus; I have not finished. Several years passed. Delacroix soon forgot completely about witches, wizards and magic. She lived in a small shack near the ocean, and saw no human life for almost ten years. Then, one day, she had a visitor. She was just waking up one sunny morning when a knock on the door nearly caused the now twenty three year old to pass out. She opened the door to see a man about her age standing there, smiling. He asked for Delacroix, and, shocked, she admitted him in. He introduced himself as Jakob Tehran, and they talked for hours. She asked him to come back. He did, the next day. In fact, he came back every day for the next four months. One night, as he was getting up to leave, Delacroix realized she had come to fall in love with young man that so insistently visited. Jakob seemed to realize this, as he told her that he too had fallen in love with her. The moment he said those words, Delacroix felt a tingling in her, and she suddenly felt alive again. When Jakob left, she hurried to her bedroom and retrieved her long forgotten wand. With a flick, she cast the unlocking spell on her bedroom door, and to her surprise and pleasure, it worked. Her magic had returned." With a barely audible sigh, Dumbledore stopped. "Does that explain it, Severus?"

Snape made no reply. After a moment, Dumbledore glanced up to look at him. The dark man had his hands clenched tightly, his eyes narrowed, and his lips pulled taut. After a moment, he turned his gaze to the window, where the sun was just rising, casting faint rays across the Potions Masters' face. "Are you saying," he began stiffly, "that in order to regain my magic after the spell, I have to love someone?" He spat the unfamiliar word.

"Someone has to love you, and tell you with their own words," Dumbledore corrected mildly. "But yes, you must love them in return, truly love them."

Snape turned his head away. "No one could ever… love… me. I'm too ruined, too dangerous, evil. The risk is great, but not great enough. I cannot do this." As the words left his mouth, he knew he was being selfish. Her need was far greater than his own; she was dead, for Merlin's sake! What was magic compared to life? Then he shook himself. "Headmaster, isn't there some other way? This can't be the only possibility, there must be another."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not. It's this way, or no way."

Snape sighed; he was right, there was no other way. He knew what he had to do, but how would he respond to the outcome? Would Granger be grateful or spiteful? Either way, he had to do it. The Dark Lord was counting on him to bring the girl to him.

"She doesn't have much longer." Dumbledore's caution jolted him. "What have you decided?"

Snape lifted his head. "The Dark Lord needs her for reasons unknown, and I'm sure Mr. Potter would have a fit. I—I'll do it."

Dumbledore seemed pleasantly surprised at his choice in the matter. "Very well, when you wish to begin, you flick your wand like so—" he demonstrated "—and say the incantation." Dumbledore then recited a series of complex words that felt strange in Snapes mouth, but he grudgingly complied. After a moment of perfecting the movements and words, Snape was ready.

With slow, jerky movements, he knelt beside the lifeless body of Hermione Granger. As he looked into her glazed eyes, he realized she would be very grateful, for she had died to save him; now, he was giving up his magic, his life, to save hers. And for what? To hand her over to the Dark Lord, who would most likely torture her senseless then eventually kill her. He realized he couldn't waste time thinking about that.

Taking a deep breath, he readied his wand. With a flick, he began chanting slowly the enchantment. When he flicked his wand the way Dumbledore had portrayed, he was shocked at how his mind grew fuzzy all of a sudden. But he continued. He continued the irreversible spell that would change his life. Forever. A silvery strand of powerful magic curled from the tip of his wand, swirling around in the air. Eventually, the strand turned to a stream, with turned to a gushing flow that seemed to suck the very life from his body as it curled around above Hermione. Its dazzling radiance mesmerized him for a moment, and his voice started to grow weary after chanting for so long. After a mere ten seconds of this, Severus felt he could contain the spell no longer, but he pressed on, determined not to fail. He could not fail.

_He could not fail._

When the magical ribbon went from flowing to a mere trickle from his wand, the lights of his being twisted, whirled and shimmered through the air before centering and plunging down to vanish in the center of Hermione's chest, causing her to glow faintly. As Severus watched faintly, she drew in a massive, shuddering breath, her eyes blinked open, and his wand crumbled to dust in his hand.

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**A/N Please review!**


	5. Once Again

**A/N I'm sorry this took so long! I have een very busy with school and every other thingthat would delay me in this. I hope you like this chappter. There isn't much HG/SS action here, but it's still good. Enjoy!**

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Hermione was taken aback. Why had she remained here at Kings Cross? Hadn't she gone back with Snape? Then she realized she must have lost her grip on his hand. Horrified, she glanced frantically around, hoping, for the first time in her life, to see his billowing robes. But she saw nothing and her feeling of emptiness only increased as she realized she was completely alone. What would she do? Did she have to remain here the rest of her existence?

What would Ginny and Harry think of her dead?

Just the thought of them made her shudder with regret. There was so much she hadn't told them, hadn't said to her best friends. Then her thoughts turned to Snape. Would he appreciate her saving his life? He sure hadn't acted like it when she first showed up here. He had sneered and berated her for using Dark Magic. She snorted. He would hate her for what she'd done. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to die. She knew that; that's why she'd done what she did. For him. Her most hated teacher. She still couldn't believe she had actually done it. But she'd known it would happen. She recalled Safire's exact words before she'd done it.

"You have never done this kind of advanced magic before," the Frences had warned. "If you do this, the chances of you surviving are diminutive. There is a small chance of you returning, but no guarantee. Are you sure?"

Hermione had paused a moment before answering decidedly. "Yes, I am positive." Then she remembered the promise she had made Safire make.

"If—if I don't come back with him, please, tell him I'm sorry."

Hermione was brought back to the future by a distant whistling. For a moment, she thought it was the Hogwarts Express come to get her, but she shook the thought. There was no way. She sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. Tears stung her eyes, and a moment later, she buried her head in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably. She would never see any of her friends again, never tell Harry she was sorry for all she had done to hurt him, never laugh and talk with Ginny, never attend her classes with her classmates, or express her thanks to Professor Snape for saving her…

She lifted her head abruptly, for at that moment, she sensed a presence. A presence she thought she'd never feel again. She dried her tear stained cheeks and glanced around, hoping to see someone, but nothing was there.

Then something caught her eye. A strange, silvery substance was curling through the air towards her. She stood and watched it, enthralled by the shifting, pulsing colors. As it reached her, the shimmering mass—or, lack of mass—stopped to hover in front of her, inches from her face. Her hand lifted, unbidden, towards the magic, she had assumed it to be, and her fingers were suddenly immersed in the liquid like aura as she watched. The pulsing magic twisted around her body, engulfing her in its touch, and she gasped at how cold it was. It slowly increased in accumulation until she felt smothered by it, yet in a pleasing way. Hermione shivered excitedly at the unmistakable… aura… about the magics presence and she sighed.

Suddenly, she felt her feet lifting gradually off the ground as it carried her upwards, up to the bright sky, and she felt herself shifting through time and space, and swiftly the magic released its hold, sending her plunging down, down, towards the earth…

Hermione blinked her eyes open and gasped in shock. She was in Dumbledore's office, and the Headmaster himself was staring down at her with a peculiar look of shock, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then she saw why.

Professor Snape was sitting near her, his head bowed and his hands clenched. He seemed distant, and at a loss for… _something_. As she watched, he lifted his head slowly and glanced up at her, eyes unusually blank and sad. When he saw her looking at him, he lowered his head again, not caring he was showing weakness in front of a student. That worried her deeply. She glanced up at Dumbledore. "Sir, wh—what happened?"

Dumbledore smiled gently at her. "I think Professor Snape can tell you," he said with a glance at the Potions Master, who glanced at the Headmaster and stood shakily.

"I think you can explain it, yourself, sir," he said in a weak sneer, leaning heavily against the wooden desk. "I see no need of it being myself."

"I do though." Dumbledore flashed Snape a glance showing that argument was over. "Are you both alright?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject with the customary twinkle in his ice blue eyes. "Do you need anything?"

Snape snorted drily. "I am fine, sir, apart from one small thing…" Dumbledore waited curiously and Snape growled. "I need not answer that."

"Ah, I see now. And you, Miss Granger? Are you well enough to travel?"

Hermione nodded slowly, wondering what Snape meant by 'one small thing.' Before she could ask, though, Professor Dumbledore was helping her to her feet and good-naturedly shooing her and Snape from the office. "You two need sleep, now. Severus, you too," he added when Snape rolled his dark eyes. "While you escort Miss Granger to the Gryffindor tower, you can explain what happened."

"Fine," Snape growled in a low tone. As he closed the door and they started down the spiral stairs, Hermione had the good sense to remain silent. They stepped into the hall and started towards the Gryffindor tower in silence. Finally Snape spoke up. "I can tell you are dying for an explanation," he drawled in his usual expressionless voice. She nodded and he continued without looking at her. "Before I tell you, I want you to know I did not do it because I felt sorry for you, or any similar reason. Understand?"

Hermione nodded again. He would not have done anything for her readily, that much she knew. Why he did it, though, was what she wanted to know.

"As you obviously know, in your bringing me back, you thus lost your own life. I would have gone about the same means to bring you back, as you are needed for… reasons you need not know about, but casting or being subject to the Soul Binding spell more than once could result in death for both sides. So, that was not an option. However, upon arriving at Professor Dumbledore's office, he explained an alternative that could be used." Snapes voice, to Hermione's surprise, quavered the slightest bit as he continued, so slight, hardly noticeable, but there. "He suggested the Eternal Renewal spell."

Hermione stared up at her professor, dumbfounded. "Sir, what…"

"Does the spell do?" She nodded assenting and he smirked most unpleasantly. "You will have to find that out on your own. However, I will allow you to study a book that might aid you in your… research. The day after tomorrow, stay after class; you may read it then." He paused and flashed her a fleeting look before stopping abruptly. They had arrived at the Fat Lady's portrait. He turned and began stalking away.

"Professor?" Hermione suddenly stepped towards him then lowered her eyes as he turned to stare at her. "Tha—thank you, sir." She quickly turned and prepared to enter the portrait hole when a low, reluctant voice spoke.

"You're welcome, Miss Granger." She whipped around as he swiftly swept away, his black robes billowing out behind him as he vanished around the corner. She gaped, shocked to speechlessness he had responded to her. After a moment, the Fat Lady huffed impatiently and she hurried into the Gryffindor common room, where she collapsed on an armchair, exhausted.

Hermione stared at the dying flames in the mantel and realized that she just wanted to sleep for the next week, without any disturbance. But there was just one problem. She had to drag herself up to her bed if she was going to sleep. With a cringe at the throbbing in her head, she hauled herself back to her feet and started up the stairs. Upon reaching her four-poster, she collapsed on top of the sheets without changing into clean clothes and was instantly comatose.

Golden fur flashed from the bushes and unblinking eyes gleamed out, staring at the robed man striding across the courtyard. As the man passed by the obscuring bushes, the creature leaped out to land in front of him, eyes flaring and tail lashing.

"You brought her back?" the golden creature demanded, the spell not quite worn off yet.

Stumbling to a halt, the man glared down at the insistent creature. "Yes, but it is none of your concern. I agreed to take you along, now it is your own fault if you are caught." He continued walking, steering to go around the creature, but she just shifted to sit in front of him again. "What do you want?" He snapped.

"I want to see her," she replied simply. He started. "Will you take me to her?" She cocked her head at him, her eyes pleading mildly.

He sighed. "Fine, but I'm not going in the Gryffindor tower. You do that yourself." He turned sharply and headed back to the castle, the creature with gold fur close behind. He swept silently through the deserted halls and up the Shifting Stairs. Upon arriving at their destination, the man stopped as someone yawned and said, impatiently, "What might you be doing up her, sir, at this time?"

"I am… taking this persistent creature to visit someone." The man stepped back to let the individual at his feet to show herself. The portrait that spoke gasped and quickly swung outward, admitting her inside. The man vanished without a trace.

When Hermione woke the next morning, sunlight was streaming in through the gap in the curtains, flooding the room with light. A glance at her watch told her it was almost noon. With a sigh, she sat up and instantly froze in surprise. Safire was at the foot of her bed, curled up sleeping with her head tucked between her golden paws. As Hermione watched, the young Frences blinked her eyes open and yawned before turning her head to look at her. She let out a short bark and narrowed her eyes confusedly.

Hermione laughed and reached for her wand, which she had set on her dresser before going to sleep the night before. To her surprise, it wasn't there. Safire, noticing her pause, leaped down and sniffed around. After a moment she slipped her paw under the low dresser and pulled the wand out, flipping it towards Hermione. She smiled gratefully and caught the wand neatly.

"Translacio," she flicked her wand at Safire, who shook her fur as the magic hit her.

"Thanks," she half purred half growled. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine thanks." Hermione glanced at the Frences curiously. "How did you get in here? I thought you didn't want to be seen?" As she watched Safire, Hermione realized her ears were flicking uncomfortably, and she was avoiding direct eye contact.

"Well, Professor Snape got me in, but…" Safire trailed off, clearly not wanting to discuss the subject. "I wanted to know how you were doing, especially after last night."

Hermione was desperate for an explanation, but she respected Safire and didn't ask. Instead, she stared out the window. "How did I come back? What was that… substance that brought me back?"

Safire cocked her head curiously. "I don't know what spell was used to revive you; otherwise, I could tell you."

Hermione, disappointed, nodded. "Tomorrow Professor Snape said he would let me look at a book that would explain the spell; if you like, you can come with me. It's right after Potions class."

"That would be great! Would he let me though?" Safire's excitement dimmed as she considered the fact Snape might not allow her to help. He hadn't taken well to her wanting to visit Gryffindor tower the night before, and she was sure he had not forgotten.

"I'm sure he'll be fine with it," Hermione assured her. "I don't see why—" She broke off as the dormitory door was flung open and Ginny burst into the room, her eyes wide. When she spotted Hermione, her face broke into a huge grin that quickly turned to confusion.

"Hermione! But I thought… you were—"

"Dead, I know," Hermione laughed at her friends' confusion. "Snape brought me back."

Ginny gaped at her friend with disbelief. "Wait, _Snape _brought you back? But why… how?" Ginny shook her head in incredulity. "You are a strange person, 'Mione."

"I know," Hermione tossed her hair jokingly. "But so is everyone else in this school. It's to be expected of us magic people."

Ginny sighed and sat on her bed, staring blankly at the floor. "We thought you were gone. Harry was distraught; he told me about your arguments, and said he wished he'd apologized. I tried to talk to him, but he remained hidden in his misery." She paused and stared at Hermione sneakily. "I can't wait to see what he does when you show up in Defense against the Dark Arts."

Hermione snickered and rose from her bed. "Yeah, really. I wonder if he'll go back to ignoring me."

"I doubt it."

Hermione swung her head around to face her friend, surprised at how convinced she sounded. "You think so? What makes you so sure?"

"Why wouldn't he? He told me himself he was sorry, so why should he ignore you now you're alive again? That wouldn't make sense," Ginny pointed out smoothly. She smiled and suddenly froze. "What is _that_?" She suddenly said, staring at something behind Hermione with wide eyes.

Hermione turned to see what Ginny was looking at and laughed again. "Ginny, this is Safire," she introduced as Safire stepped into view. "She's a Frences. But you can't tell anyone she's here."

"Who? She's a what? Why can't I tell anyone?" The questions tumbled from the redheads' mouth faster than magic from a wand. "Where did you find her?"

Hermione held her hands up. "One question at a time! She lives in the Dark Forest, and you can't tell anyone because she asked me not to." She stroked the Frences' fur, and Ginny stared. "She really is brilliant. She helped me—" Hermione broke off a Crookshanks leaped up on the bed and froze as he caught sight of Safire. He arched his back and hissed, but at that moment Safire emitted a low, soothing purr that made pause the orange cat. Hermione and Ginny watched in surprise as Crookshanks relaxed and settled down comfortably on the bed sheets, purring softly.

Safire turned triumphantly to Hermione. "Where were we?"

The two girls laughed and Ginny asked, "You can speak to cats?"

"Yes and also foxes, dogs, and, as you can see, humans." Safire glanced at Crookshanks, who was now sleeping peacefully. She shook her shaggy golden head and sighed. "He just needed reminding of his place, which was easy enough, seeing as how he is alone most of the time with no feline company."

Ginny smiled and turned back to Hermione. "So, what do you mean that Snape brought you back? Explain from the beginning, and don't leave anything out."

So Hermione explained. From the moment she left the Great Hall, when Snape told her to bring her wand and traveling cloak, to him explaining the Frences. When she got to the part when they split up, Ginny couldn't help but break in. "I may not like Snape, but I would defiantly rather you be with Snape that alone. I mean honestly, all the things that could attack you!" Hermione laughed and continued to when she met Hagrid, then when they found Aragog biting Professor Snape. Hermione explained how she had gone to find Safire for the cure. Ginny looked horrified but didn't say anything as Hermione explained when she had performed the Soul Binding spell and what had happened while doing so.

Safire took over after that, as Hermione had not been present in the next scenes. The young Frences told the story well, and Hermione was surprised at all that had occurred while she had been… absent. Finally, Safire told of the professors' conversation in Dumbledore's office. When she got to the part when Snape revived her, she refused to say anything but the littlest amount. "So, Professor Dumbledore told Professor Snape a spell he could use, and after a bit of thought, Snape used it," she explained, clearly avoiding the subject. When Hermione pressed for detail, her only reply was "I'm sure he would rather tell you himself." She ended her story after telling how she persuaded Snape to bring her here.

"So, Snape is going to tell you the spell he used after Potions tomorrow?" Ginny inquired. "I wonder why they wanted to keep it secret. It must be either really rare or really bad."

"I don't know either," Hermione replied, her voice trailing as her mind wandered. "Anyway, whatever it was, I'll know by tomorrow. He said he would let me look through a book from his library that has it in it, so…" Her head suddenly snapped up and her eyes widened.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ginny and Safire spoke unanimity.

She shook her head relaxing a bit. "Nothing, I just thought… never mind." Her mind was whirling; she had suddenly remembered something from when she used the Soul Binding spell on Snape. When she had learned she had used Dark Magic, her subconscious mind had seen someone behind him. Someone she never thought to see again. So pale, almost invisible, but there all the same. His transparent expression was one of shock, ecstasy, and relief, but she had ignored him. The one person she missed dearly, she ignored him. His red hair had been unmistakable, and he had tried vainly to capture her attention, but she was too focused on Snape to notice.

Ginny noticed her lack of concentration, but instead of urging her to explain, she quietly stood from the bed and went downstairs to the common room, leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts. As the redhead collapsed on the sofa, she wondered why Hermione was acting so strange. Whenever the subject of Snape came up, she started to look uncomfortable, even afraid. What had the Head of Slytherin done to make her like that? She remembered that day on their way to the Great Hall, when Hermione had, for the first time, run from a teacher and in return received her first detention since arriving at Hogwarts. That really worried Ginny. Hermione never had detention, yet here she was with a week full of them. Then she also remembered the dream Hermione had had and told Ginny about. That must be the cause of the problem; she could be afraid it might really happen. But why would she be worried? There was no possible way that could happen; it was absurd. Anyway, Snape was teacher, for Merlin sake; he couldn't do anything like that if he wanted to. It was specifically said by the Ministry of Magic that no affairs between a teacher and student could be existent.

While Ginny had been lost in thought, she didn't notice Hermione descending the stairs unhurriedly and stop in front of the fire, mesmerized by the flickering flames. After a moment, the bushy haired girl turned to look at the redhead and sighed. "I'm sorry I got you involved in my terrible life," she said miserably. "I wasn't thinking about your feelings."

Ginny, when Hermione had spoken, glanced up in surprise and said, "No, it's my fault I'm in this mess. I want to help you with it, Hermione. Will you allow me to?"

Hermione was surprised at this, but nodded slowly. "But, how could you help me? I mean, this is my battle, you might not understand it completely. When I told you about my dream, you comforted me, yes, but you didn't offer to help. I'm not saying you're a bad friend; no way! You're one of my best friends here as well as Harry. But… I just don't see how you can help me." Hermione regretted her words and ducked her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't be," Ginny said, "I understand, but I still want to try and help you."

Hermione nodded again and a smirk formed on her face. "Well then, maybe you could help me down to the Great Hall; I'm starving!" Ginny shook her head, glad that her friend was at least a little happier, and the two girls set off together.

Upon arriving at the Great Hall, Hermione immediately spotted Harry; his shoulders were slumped as he chatted half-heartedly with Fred and George. As Hermione and Ginny started towards them, Fred looked up and his face broke out in a huge grin. "Hermione! Harry told us about you but didn't say you'd come back!" George also glanced up and smiled broadly. Harry ignored them, which hurt Hermione greatly.

Instead of letting his bitterness ruin her day, she hurried over to sit by the twins and across from Harry. "I'm fine now," she said. "How are you, Harry?" she glanced pointedly at him and frowned when his gaze remained down, deaf to her presence. She sighed as Ginny took the seat next to her. "He still won't talk to me," she muttered to her friend.

"Here, allow me to help you with that," Ginny said with a smirk. She stood and walked around to sit by Harry. Leaning over, she whispered hurriedly in his ear while the other three watched on. After a moment, Harry sighed and, to everyone's surprise, cast a quick glance at Hermione. "I'm fine," he said grudgingly.

As Ginny retook her seat, Hermione gaped at her. "What did you do?" she asked in disbelief.

"I know a way with boys," she replied haughtily. George just snickered at her and Fred leaned over to whisper something in Hermione's ear. She stared at him with mock astonishment and shook her head with disbelief as he snorted amusedly.

At that moment, the noon bell rang and the Great Hall echoed with groans as everyone got ready to go to their first classes of the day. Harry was up and gone before Hermione even stood. As she rose from her seat, she wondered if he was in any of her classes, and if he was, hopefully she could get him to talk to her. She suddenly realized the others were staring at her curiously.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked. "You look a little pale." She and her brothers were already a few paces down the aisle.

"I'm fine," Hermione said with a weak smile. As the continued on, the four of them, Ginny matched her pace to Hermione's.

"Hermione, guess what I found out about Fred?" she whispered excitedly. "Go on, guess!"

"Um, you got him to allow you to look in the store?" she guessed confusedly.

Ginny snorted. "Nice try; I wish. No, actually, I think it is very obvious he fancies you!"

"_What_?" Hermione stared at her friend in disbelief. "What in the world would make you think that? Anyway, he knew I was with Ron." But as she glanced at Ginny's brother out of the corner of her eye, she saw him whisper something in George's ear and flash a glance her direction. Turning back, Ginny gave her a smug look. "Yeah, well, what do you expect me to do?" she rolled her eyes. "Go up to him and say 'sorry, but you cant like me'?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, tell him you like him."

Hermione's eyes were open wide as she gaped. "What, you want to me to lie?" She cut off as she realized the twins had caught up to them and were listening intently. She cast Ginny a look of disbelief and hurried ahead of them, ignoring the snickers that met her ears. She arrived at the Defense classroom as everyone was just getting seated. She noticed their teacher hadn't arrived yet.

"Hey, Hermione! Come sit with us!" Hermione turned to see the twins already seated at a long table with Ginny, Percy, Neville, and Luna. She stared, shocked. How did they get here before she had? She made her way over and sat in the only vacant place, between Luna and Fred. _Had it been set up this way on purpose?_ she wondered. Ginny cast her a mischievous look and Hermione knew it had.

"Where is the Professor?" Hermione asked. "Who is he, for that matter?"

"Professor Lupin is taking over for today," Ginny explained. "He said he would be a bit late."

"It already ten minutes after class was supposed to start." Luna glanced at a nearby clock. "He should be here about now…"

"Good morning class! Sorry I'm not on time, meeting ended late…" Professor Lupin swept into the room and stood in font of his desk, his eyes scanning the class. "First off, has anyone here been to Hogsmeade?"

Curious murmurs echoed through the room as every hand went up. "Good!" Lupin grinned. "Because that is where we are going today. I know you're excited," he added as the room filled with excited applause and cheers. "And the only reason we are going will be made clear soon. Now, if you will kindly follow me…" He stood and started towards the door while everyone followed him. The only people that didn't seem very excited at going to Hogsmeade were the Slytherins. Actually, that included only Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and three first years that seemed to be holding their excitement in to look like apposite Slytherins. Hermione snickered at that. Malfoy was already having an influence on the others.

"What do you think we are doing there?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Hopefully going to Zonkos," George suddenly appeared right beside them and Hermione jumped. "We need to restock on supplies."

"I doubt Professor Lupin would give us time fore that," Hermione pointed out. "He said we were going for a reason." She, as was every member in the class, was very curious as to what Lupin had in mind for them. Never before has a class left Hogwarts' boundaries for any reason. This was definitely a first.

As Hermione and Ginny filed out through the doors, someone slammed into her side, hard. She whipped around to see Malfoy sneer at her as he pushed past her. "Watch where you're going, Mudblood." She cast him a withering look and advanced on him but an arm held her back. Ginny was too far behind for it to be her; she was surprised to see Fred attempting to restrain her as she struggled against his strong grasp. "Leave him, Hermione," the redhead advised, though through gritted teeth. She relented after a moment and he released her as Ginny caught up.

"What's going on?" She fell in step with Hermione as the irate girl explained. When she finished, Ginny laughed, much to Hermione's displeasure. "Oh, 'Mione, you let everything get to you! He's just a spiteful git; ignore him."

Hermione scowled but was silent as they hurried through the castle.

They arrived at Hogsmeade about ten minutes later. As they walked through the cobblestone streets, Hermione realized they were walking right by all the logical shops for a Defense class. Growing more confused by the moment, she was shocked when they stopped in front of the Quidditch supplies shop. With a smug grin, Professor Lupin turned around to face the class. "Thought we were coming for a lesson, did you? No! Today is going to be the day we take a break. Go inside, grab a broom, any broom, and come back out here. Don't worry," he added at the dubious glances. "I've gotten permission."

"Any broom, sir?" Malfoy spoke up suspiciously. "_Any_ one?"

"Yes, Draco, _any _broom." Lupin had a strange expression on his face that Hermione couldn't quite read.

"Come on," Ginny tugged her sleeve impatiently. "I've always wanted to try out the new Siriz!" Hermione remembered that a few weeks ago, she and Ginny had been reading _The Daily Prophet _and they had seen the advertisement for the Siriz, the new trademark broom that was faster and more accurate than any other, even the Firebolt. They had been dying to try it out ever since it was released to Quidditch Supplies.

Hermione laughed as Ginny pulled her swiftly into the shop, straight for the window display where the Siriz was displayed. Its deep mahogany wood gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the window. The tail was perfectly clipped and the entire thing was quivering with energy. Underneath the display was one long, narrow box containing the very last Siriz. Ginny quickly grabbed it, then seeing Hermione didn't have one, she sheepishly tried to offer it to her.

Hermione was disappointed, but she tried not to let it show. "You keep it," she said. "You want it more than I do."

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked. "If you want it, then—"

"I said you keep it. I can get a Firebolt." Hermione turned to grab a Firebolt, smiling at her friend. "I'm fine."

Ginny looked partly relieved and she and Hermione hurried towards the door. Abruptly, Fred and George stepped in front of them. They were both holding Siriz's. Fred noticed instantly the two girls held different brooms. He grinned mischievously. "Did you want a Siriz, Hermione?" he offered his own broom while George stared incredulously. "Trade you for that Firebolt."

Hermione couldn't help the excitement at the prospect of being able to use a Siriz after all. She usually hated flying, but the ads on the Siriz made it sound easy, and she wanted to try it. Fred must have noticed, because he pushed the Siriz into her hand before she could say a word. She gaped at him. "Are you sure?"

"Never surer," he replied with wink. Hermione felt her face burning with embarrassment as she handed him her Firebolt. He grinned and he and George continued on their way.

"I told you he fancies you," Ginny said smugly. "Need any more proof than that?"

"Oh, shut up," Hermione muttered, turning away as Ginny snickered in amusement. "I already knew it. Let's go now." She stalked away and Ginny followed, still laughing at her embarrassment. They exited Quidditch Supplies and joined the rest of their classmates outside.

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**A/N And, there is it. Hope you liked it. Please review!**

**"To the well organized mind, death is but the next greatest adventure." ~Albus Dumbledore**


	6. You must be a Phoenix

**A/N I am soooo sorry this update took so long! Pleaasseee forgive me you guys; I was very busy, and just didn't find time! I promise I will make up for it. I actually could update every other day if I wanted, but I just don't have that time!**

**And by the way, this chapter is interesting, to say the least. I know you are wanting some Hermione/Severus parts, so I tried the best I could here. I hope this wasn't taking it too fast. I just hope its not too... romantic for such an early chapter. It should be fine though. Again, I'm sorry this took so long to come. I feel really bad, so could you help me get the next chapter faster with some reviews? Thanks, and enjoy!**

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"Today, as I already said, is a free day. You will be allowed half an hour to fly where you like, as long as I can see you. Am I understood?" Nods. "Good. Now, take to the skies!" Professor Lupin ducked rapidly as twenty or so brooms whizzed over his head and zipped through the air, whoops of elation reaching his ears.

As Hermione swooped through the air, she realized the Siriz was indeed perfectly balanced and she had no trouble at all staying upright. She turned in circles and loops, laughing hysterically. She marveled at how fast she could go, the wind whipping her hair in her face and stinging her half-closed eyes. She guessed that, while she wouldn't like flying enough to play Quidditch, she would still enjoy it quite a bit.

"Watch this!" Ginny suddenly called from her left. Hermione turned her head to see the redhead drifting alongside her, upside down. Her face was twisted in a frenzied expression of mirth. Hermione grinned and also flipped her broom, griping the handle until her knuckles turned white. The blood rushed to her head, making her lightheaded, but she ignored it. Her mind was so occupied with the excitement of the moment, she didn't notice her broom start quivering. What happened next happened so fast, she didn't have time to process it in her mind until it was too late.

Her broom suddenly jerked against her and bucked wildly, knocking her around ruthlessly. Terrified, she tried desperately to regain control of the broom, but to no avail. The Siriz started whirling around and it was all she could to do to maintain her grip as she spiraled through the air. When she finally managed to right it, it had its final blow. A mighty jolt, a massive heave, and she was flying through the air, with no support beneath her. By that time, the entire class had noticed and was rushing forward on their brooms to help, but she was going too fast for them to do much. She couldn't even scream as she plummeted to the earth, the hard ground rushing up to meet her.

Suddenly, she was jolted to a sudden, painful halt as someone grabbed her around the waist and she was suddenly being pulled onto their broom. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. Her broom had gone out of control, it had bucked her off, she was falling, and someone caught her, and now…

"Are you alright?" a concerned voice spoke close to her ear. "That was an awful fall." Hermione's mind was still fuzzy, and she didn't recognize the voice, but she managed a nod as she slowed her breathing. The broom tilted downward and not long before they alighted on the ground.

Professor Lupin hurried over. "Thank you, Fred; I'll take it from here." She was helped off the broom and lowered onto a soft chair conjured by Ginny. As she hunched over, whispers could be heard all around her.

"What happened? Was it the broom?"

"No, they're checked and double checked for jinxes."

"Maybe that one was overlooked."

"I doubt it."

"Hermione? Hermione, are you alright? Please answer me!"

She suddenly realized someone was shaking her shoulders, and as her vision cleared a bit, she saw desperate green eyes gazing at her with concern. She gasped as she recognized those eyes, the same ones she thought she'd never see again. "Ron?" she managed in a hoarse whisper.

"No, Hermione," Ginny's voice sounded next to her. "It's just Fred. How are you feeling?" Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but at that moment, an all too familiar voice spoke from behind them.

"Remus, why in the world have you brought your class here?"

Professor Lupin glanced up in surprise. "Professor Snape," he greeted the dark Potions Master. "I just wanted to… test my students' capabilities. They thought this was a leisure trip; a break, you could say. I wanted to know how cautious they were. Not a one of them checked their brooms for jinxes." He paused, his eyes sweeping over the gathering. "As you can see, Miss Granger here found that hers was jinxed."

"I see." Professor Snape narrowed his black eyes suspiciously. "Did Albus give you permission to bring them here?"

"As a matter of fact, he did." Lupin lifted his head. "Why might you be here?"

"That is none of your business. However," Snape added drily, "I shall tell you, because I was told to find you as well. I am delivering some healing potions to St. Mungos. Professor Dumbledore wanted me to tell you to meet him in his office in an hour. He would not tell me why."

Lupin seemed very surprised at this. "What are they supposed to do until then?" he asked, gesturing weakly at the curious students who were watching.

Professor Snape cast him a withering look. "That is not my responsibility." He turned and, without a word, swept gracefully away, his black robes fanning out behind him. Hermione was confused. He always had a short temper, but never like this. What was wrong? She hoped she would find out tomorrow after Potions, when Snape had promised to let her research the spell he had used to… to bring her back.

"Hermione, come on," Ginny helped her to her feet, if a little unsteadily. "We need to get going." Hermione allowed herself to be guided through the streets behind the class as they headed back to the castle. She was still a bit shaky after her incident.

They arrived at their next class, Transfiguration, just as the clock struck the hour. Professor McGonagall was nowhere to be seen and whispers could be heard from around the room. _What was with all the teachers being late today? _Hermione wondered. After a while, the door burst open and to everyone's surprise, Professor Dumbledore himself walked in and smiled warmly. "You are probably wondering where Professor McGonagall is," he began. "She will not be here today, so may I suggest you return to your dormitories and study for your OWL's." Groans met his words but quickly subsided at his stern look.

"Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, please stay for a moment." Dumbledore's soft voice caused Hermione to freeze as she was walking out. She turned and returned to her seat, confused. She was always confused these days it seemed.

Eventually, the room emptied of everyone but the Twins, who were talking about something that seemed important, based on their unusually serious facial expressions. After a moment, Dumbledore nodded and Fred, obviously pleased, beamed at him. George on the other hand was furious with his brother, and Hermione caught a bit of his arguments:

"…you explained it, but now you're turning back! You promised if I let you, I could have whoever I wanted! Now, you just…"

His voice lowered as Fred gaped at him. After a moment, Dumbledore cut in with assuring words and the two brothers and they glared one last tie at each other before storming from the room. Dumbledore stared after them sadly, with a hint of amusement, then beckoned the two girls over.

"Miss Weasley," he addressed Ginny. "I assume you have heard about you father?"

"Yes sir," Ginny replied, her face darkening at the memory. Hermione didn't have a clue what was going on, or what they were talking about.

"Well, I have just been informed that he has been released and taken back to the Burrow." Ginny's face glimmered with hope until the Headmasters' next words. "He wanted to say his farewells properly. He asked if you could leave Hogwarts a time to see him."

At this, Ginny shook her head miserably. "No, no, he—he can't be… Sir, isn't there anything you can do for him?" Her voice took on a higher pitch. "Anything?"

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "No, I'm afraid not."

Hermione tried to comfort her friend, but the redhead just shrugged her off and turned around to dash from the classroom, tears streaming down her face. Hermione started after her, then remembered Dumbledore and turned back to gaze helplessly at him. "Sir, what—"

"I think she can tell you herself, when she's ready," he replied. She winced slightly. That was the second time he had told her that in as many days. "Miss Granger, I have been putting this off as long as I could, but I think the time has come for me to tell you about something the Ministry of Magic has put out. Please realize that this is your choice. If you do not with to participate, please tell me. But if you don't it could mean Harry's life. Will you listen?"

Hermione was stunned to speechlessness. What was he talking about? What could she possibly do to save Harry's life, and why did he say it was her choice? Was it something she might not want to do? Before she could ask herself any more questions, she lifted her head. "Yes, I will listen."

Relief was obvious on the Headmasters' face as he began talking. "About a month ago, the family of a Muggleborn student here at Hogwarts was ruthlessly murdered by Death Eaters caused by inadequate protection due to lack of magic in their blood. Shocked by this discovery, the ministry has found a solution, though there is only a fifty percent chance of it succeeding. They thought that is Muggleborn students were to… marry, say, pureblood or even half-blood students, it would create stronger protection for their family. The Ministry has informed me that as Headmaster, it was my job to… select the appropriate students to pair. Since you are not born from magical parents, I thought that if you so desired, you could join this agreement." Dumbledore waited patiently for her response.

Hermione's thought were whirling faster than Apparation. She would be forced to marry someone against her will! If she agreed to this, of course. Why wouldn't she? It would mean stronger protection for her parents, but what about her? She wasn't even out of school, and already she was offered matrimony. It didn't make sense; why couldn't the Ministry put wards on the Muggle families?

"It would require an immense deal of magic to ward so many households; they scarcely considered it." Dumbledore seemed to read her thoughts and she gaped at him. Was he an Occlumencer? "I've been asked that question countless times," he assured her, amused.

She shook her head and stared at him with wide eyes. "What will happen if I agree to… this?" she asked, her voice quivering derisorily. "Will my parents be safer?"

Dumbledore thought a moment. "It isn't guaranteed, but it is likely," he finally replied, slowly.

"Who—who have you paired me with?"

"I have asked the person in question, and he has agreed, if a bit earnestly. I believe it was Fred Weasley." Dumbledore turned his gaze to stare outside through a small window. "Or it could have been George; I'll never know the two of them apart." He chuckled.

Hermione was aghast. Fred? Then she remembered what Ginny had told her recently.

"Hermione, guess what I found out about Fred?" the redhead had whispered excitedly. "Go on, guess!"

"Um, you got him to allow you to look in the store?" Hermione had guessed feebly.

Ginny snorted with ridicule. "Nice try; I wish. No, actually, I think it is very obvious he fancies you!"

"_What_?" Hermione had stared at her friend in disbelief. At first she had not believed Ginny; now, she knew it was true. And if she agreed to this matter, she would be married to him. She couldn't fathom it. She needed a while. "Professor, sir, would it be alright if I had a few days to think this over? I want to be sure before I answer."

"Of course, Miss Granger." Dumbledore suddenly looked a lot more cheerful. "That was not the only reason I wanted to speak with you. As of yesterday, I have found someone willing to fulfill your… request."

Hermione gaped at him. "Really?" she asked incredulously. "Who?"

Dumbledore explained the entire situation, and Hermione just grew more excited by the minute. When he finished, she was speechless. When she finally found her voice, she said, "Thank you, Professor! Thank you so much! When do I start?"

"Next Monday, and every Monday and Wednesday until you have mastered the art." Dumbledore chuckled at her ecstasy. "For now, I think you had better find your friend. She has need of your ever caring comfort." With that, the Headmaster swept gracefully from the room, leaving Hermione standing there, filled with anticipation. She couldn't wait to tell Harry and Ginny.

That evening, Hermione decided to take a short walk around the lake. As she took slow, measured steps through the rocky shore, a faint rustle sounded behind her, but she barely noticed the dark figure coming up behind her as her thoughts were elsewhere until a soft cough sounded next to her. Whipping her head up, she stared in astonishment at him, shock registering on her features. "Professor! What—what are you doing here?" she inquired.

"I could ask you the same thing," Professor Snape smirked as he fell in step beside her. It floored her; not that morning, he was getting on to her for who knew what reason, and now he was, of his own free will, walking next to her, with hardly a hint of hauteur. It disconcerted her greatly, and she had a sinking feeling about how this night would end. She knew this attitude couldn't last, so she resolved to remain silent as long as permitted. Snape noted her silence and rolled his eyes. "I asked you a question, Granger," he snapped impatiently.

Hermione sighed. Technically, he hadn't asked her a question; he had just stated. But who was she to argue with the formidable Slytherin Head? She directed her eyes downward and replied, "I just wanted to take a short walk, sir." She didn't want to see Snape's reaction, but he remained silent as they continued on in awkward silence by the waters' edge. After a moment, Hermione risked a glance at his face, but it was as unfathomable as ever. She returned to staring at her shoes when a sharp bark suddenly sounded from the lengthening shadows.

To Hermione's surprise, Safire bounded out from the bushes nearby towards them, her golden fur ruffled. She let out another short yelp, then glanced up at Hermione shamefacedly. Hermione whisked her wand out with a smile and flicked it at the Frences. "Translacio," she said clearly, and she noticed Snape's eyebrows rise at the unfamiliar spell. "I made it up," she explained, her excitement at seeing Safire never diminishing, even in the face of Professor Snape. She turned back to the golden creature before her. "How are you Safire? I haven't seen you in so long!"

"It's good to see you, Hermione," she replied. "And you too, Professor Snape. It's good to see you looking so much better." She narrowed her eyes playfully as she stepped up to the dark man and held her paw out. Snape seemed appalled and pointedly refused to respond to the gesture. Safire shrugged it off.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked curiously as she continued walking down the shore with Safire; Snape grudgingly followed at a distance, though Hermione wasn't sure why he didn't just go back to the castle.

"Here and there," Safire replied. "I stayed with Hagrid for a few days. He is so kind; do you know what he did for me…?"

Snape listened idly to their conversation, also wondering why he wouldn't return to the castle. He needed to speak with Granger, but she was obviously too preoccupied for him, the 'bat of the dungeons', as Gryffindors so colorfully called him. She was the sole exception; he had never, in her seven years here at Hogwarts, heard of anything that she had called him anything but 'Professor'. He shook the thought; he needed to concentrate on what he was going to say to her. After going through his books that morning, he had found that the chapter he was going to have Granger read had too much detail on the matter for him; knowing her, she would feel way too much sympathy for his lack of magic.

Snape winced. Every time his mind flashed back to that night, an empty feeling wrenched inside him as he remembered painfully he was now without his magic.

"Professor?" Hermione's concerned sounded far ahead of Snape and he realized he had stopped walking and was staring blankly at the horizon. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he snapped harshly, as he resumed walking at a brisker pace. When he caught up, Hermione and Safire continued walking, still immersed in conversation.

"So what happened when you went out to see what it was?" the Frences asked.

Hermione got a faraway look in her eyes as she recalled the memory. "Well, we went outside and Ron started worrying it might be a trap, but we all doubted him. I wish I hadn't." Snape was shocked to see tears glimmering in the Gryffindors' eyes. "As we went deeper into the forest, two Death Eaters jumped out and started to attack us with all kinds of spells and hexes I'd never heard of. Ron and Ginny were knocked out almost immediately, but Harry and I started fighting the Death Eaters. I got hit by a hex and was knocked unconscious for a few moments. When I came to, Harry—" Hermione choked on her words before continuing. "—Harry was fighting them both. I wanted to help, but I couldn't move.

"Then, Professor Snape showed up and chased the Death Eaters off. But one of them cast the killing curse at me, and I was suddenly at Kings Cross station." Safire was watching the girl wide-eyed as she absentmindedly told her story. "I was very confused, until Snape suddenly came up behind me and told me I was dead, very curtly, I might add." She seemed to forget where she was and who she was talking to, for she flashed a mischievous grin at her professor, who sneered and turned away. "If it weren't for Professor Snape, I wouldn't be here right now. He saved my life, twice now. I owe him everything." After voicing her true thoughts, she instantly averted her gaze lest he berate her for her words. She had no doubt the insecure, isolated professor wouldn't appreciate her praise. But she meant it; she truly did.

But, when he didn't say anything, Safire spoke up. "I never knew that… what happened after that?" At Hermione's uncomfortable silence, she quickly said, "you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Hermione smiled but said, "It's fine; I started telling you, I'm sure you want to hear the rest?" Safire nodded enthusiastically and Hermione continued. "Well, after Snape brought me back, I woke and saw him next to me, though he seemed dead. I admit, I was terrified. I thought everyone would think I killed him or something. But then he stirred. When he started back to Hogwarts, I still couldn't move." She snickered as the memories rushed back. "He snapped at me for not coming, but when I told him I couldn't move, he got really agitated." Snape assumed she had forgotten he was there and was listening to every word she said, and a snort escaped his throat. For being the brightest witch her age, she sure was scatterbrained. He would have been pressed to even think about. As she continued airily, he couldn't help but admire how freely she was telling this account. "So he had to, I confess languidly, help me to the dungeons, where I promptly fell asleep. When I woke, he was brewing a very complex looking potion." She almost said, 'I was reading in his office', but quickly caught herself. She would tell the actual story. Instead, she said, "when he finished, he administered the potion and I again fell asleep. When I awoke, I was back in my dormitory." Hermione was now lost in her story. As she trailed off, she eventually stopped walking and stood motionless at the waters edge.

"Hermione?" Safire took a tentative step towards her, but at Snape's glare she paused. After a moment, and with a meaningful glance at the Potions Master, the golden creature turned and whisked away with a purr of amusement, leaving the Slytherin head and Gryffindor student alone.

Snape stood unmoving, watching nothing in particular. After a moment, he heard a faint rustle behind him. He turned to see Granger had kneeled down on the smooth stones with her head in her hands. Her long, disheveled hair had fallen so Snape wouldn't see her face, but he could tell she was desperately trying to choke down sobs. He sighed, unsure what to do. Usually he would berate students for showing emotions other than fear or shame in his presence, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to snap at the now vulnerable Gryffindor. He hoped he wasn't going soft.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Hermione suddenly whispered. "I—I don't know what got into me." She raised her head and gazed up at him apologetically as she stood shakily. "I should be going back," she finished, starting towards the castle, which seemed very far away. She couldn't believe herself. She had just cried in from of her professor, and Snape at that! He was probably thinking something cruel or mocking about her for it. But she couldn't help it. Relaying those painful memories to Safire had aroused her grief for Ron, and her emotions just took over. She remembered all those days with him, going to classes, laughing at his dry humor, and fighting the Death Eaters by his side. She hastily wiped her tears away when she noticed Snape was once again keeping pace with her, even though her walk was slower than usual. It confused her; why was he insisting on being with her right now? She considered asking outright, but she was anxious for his response.

"Miss Granger, I need to speak with you."

Professor Snape's voice cut through the air unexpectedly, causing Hermione to start in surprise and glance at him quickly. "Why, sir?" she questioned curiously. "Why—why do you need to speak with me?"

Snape sighed, exasperated, and retorted, "Why don't we see if you can use that clever mind of yours to figure that out yourself."

After a moment, the answer became painfully clear to Hermione, and she instantly knew why he had sought her out. "Because of that first night in my detention," she stated heavily and Snape nodded without looking at her. "Professor, sir, I can explain, but—"

"Do not start with your excuses Miss Granger," he snapped in a scathing tone. "They are not worth my time."

Hermione ducked her head, her cheeks flaming. "I'm sorry, sir. It's not like myself to make excuses, I'm just not…" she trailed as he cast her a warning glare.

"I'm sure you could prattle on all day, Miss Granger," he sneered, "but in case you haven't noticed, I am very busy and still have not explained to you why I am here." He raised his hand to halt her confused protest. "Yes, it is because of that night while I attempted to teach you Occlumency. However, I would like an explanation." He flashed her a glance to show he was waiting.

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "Well, I'm not sure why I had the dream, it just kind of… came." She proceeded to tell him every aspect of the reverie, although her face burned as he listened to her recount those vivid details. When she finished, she realized they had stopped and were now facing out towards the lake. She embarrassedly turned away to lower herself slowly onto a low boulder and stared at her feet. Snape remained standing with his back to her, so she couldn't read his expression, for which the Potions Master was glad.

His mind whirled. What had provoked this... nightmare, as she put it, to surface?

"I'm sorry sir," she suddenly apologized shamefully. "I tried to keep you out, I'm sure you didn't want to see that, but…" to Snape's surprise, when he caught her eyes, he saw tears threatening to spill. He quickly glanced away. After a moment she started back towards Hogwarts without a word. Snape watched, inert, as she crested a hill and vanished from his sight.

What was that all about? he wondered, thunderstruck. He should have done something, made her stay, so he could finish questioning her. But he hadn't. And that surprised him greatly. Was he going soft?

As Snape sat there, alone in the biting night air, he vaguely reflected on the past week. He was on the verge of going insane without his magic. Every day as he taught Potions to all those blithering idiots, he was noticing every little thing he had to do manually that he used to do mindlessly with magic. When a student ruined their potion, he made them clean it up themselves, and trying to do so without arousing their suspicions. But it was obvious some were starting to notice. One of his students had already asked him about it. Snape had just barely gotten out of it by saying he didn't care for that 'foolish wand waving' and docked twenty points for irritating questions.

The day after the Dark Forest incident Severus had gone to Albus seeking advice, but to his horror, he only got another piece of information that completely wiped every chance of regaining his magic.

"Severus," the Headmaster had spoken softly and sympathetically. "I have forgotten to inform you of something concerning that spell you used."

"And what might that be?" he had replied, his voice betraying his boredom.

Albus hesitated before replying. "Well, Severus, I have researched more on that spell, and it seems to me that in order to regain your magic, you must love and be loved by someone."

"I already knew that!" Severus had snapped impatiently.

"Ah, but just not anyone," he had added with a twinkle in his eyes. Severus hated when he did that. "You would have to fall in love with the individual who acquired your magic. In this situation, that would be Hermione Granger."

Severus had frozen, shocked, as his mind struggled to process this information. After a moment of startled silence, in which Dumbledore watched Severus curiously for a reaction, the Potions Master finally managed a weak, "So you're saying for my magic to return…" he trailed off, speechless.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't like that," Albus said. "However, it is the only way."

Severus shook his head. "It can't be…"

"But it is."

Silence ensued and after a moment, Albus stood from his desk and walked over to Fawkes' perch, watching the bird intently. "But I can tell that is not why you came here," he said. "Tell me, Severus, how do Phoenixes' die?"

Severus was caught off guard by the unexpected question, but he nonetheless answered, "They burst into flames. But sir—"

"And why do they die in that method, Severus?" Albus had urged gently.

"So they may be reborn from the ashes. But what does that have to do—"

"Exactly," he cut the dark man off. "You must be as a Phoenix, Severus. You need to let go of your worries, doubts, and most of all, your past. Those things are not important right now. You can be reborn as a new man, with a new life bursting from the ashes." Albus had torn his gaze from Fawkes and was gazing at Severus seriously.

The Slytherin head snorted at Albus' metaphor. "I must be as a Phoenix," he repeated disdainfully. "Yeah, sure."

Albus had shrugged. "Well, Severus, I have told you all I found need to. Is there anything you wanted to ask me?"

As Severus stared blankly at the Headmaster, his thoughts suddenly registered what he had said earlier about his magic. But… _Hermione_ _Granger_? Why did it have to be her? "No… no, I didn't need anything else, Headmaster." Severus turned and started towards the door slowly, his steps unsteady and unsure as he tried to comprehend what he learned in less than ten minutes.

"Severus, remember: it is the only way to retain your magic. You are a Phoenix."

Severus turned to stare at him, but the old wizard had already turned back to Fawkes. With a small sigh, Severus left.

Snape jolted back to the present and saw the stars had begun to fade. With a jolt, he realized he had been out all night. He quickly stood and glanced around, seeing the faintest glimmer of sunlight on the horizon. A slight breeze carried through the long, sweeping grass and across the surface of the lake, tiny ripples dancing across the water. Wondering how his life had gotten so turned around, Snape started back towards the castle, deep in thought.

_Hermione_ _Granger_.

He shook the thought, disturbed. Dumbledore hadn't said it out loud, but what he meant was there was no chance Snape could regain his magic. Not when the woman—girl—he had to love was so hateful to him, and was so much younger than he was! He could be her father, for Merlin's sake! And he was the most hated Professor in the school. There was no way she would fall in love with him.

He walked silently, wondering why he was the one with all these problems in his life. He hated it! Why couldn't he live a normal life, without having to deal with Death Eaters trying to kill him, the Dark Lord torturing him, and playing his role as double spy. It was infuriating, and he intended bring it all to an end soon. He couldn't live with it anymore.

As the sun peaked above the horizon and he reached Hogwarts' grounds, that's when he heard it. A high, agonizing shriek coming from the Dark Forest.

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**A/N Is that ok for a cliff hanger? XD Hope you like it enough to review! **

**And, just a heads up, come summer time, I might not be updating as often. I am currently in an online homeschooling program, K12, and they sent me a computer to use for my classes. If I don't stay in this program, there are some things that will happen. 1) I will not get on the computer near as often, thus be unable to write, 2) I will be at public school, have absolutly no free time, and thus not update, and 3) I will have no access to FanFiction, because the computer is ALWAYS occupied by someone in the house. So, I'm sorry for any inconveniance. XD I sound like a company manager lol. 'Sorry for any inconveniance' what am I thinking. Anywho, please review and let me know if there are any grammetical errors or confusing parts, so I can update faster. XD Thanks for reading!**


	7. The Moon's Curse

**A/N I am so sorry I took so long with this update! Don't worry, I'm not abandoning it, but I have been so busy with every other thing in the book, and I just haven't had the time. Besides that, each chapter I try to make at least six pages in Microsoft word in size ten text, though this one is six and a half pages, my longest chapter yet, so it took me forever to get that much in this chapter. I'm sorry if I'm just rambling around the middle area, but it was just to fill the space. Please don't hate me; I know you're probably impatient, and I promised this one would be quicker, so this time I will TRY to get the next one within a week. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, and hope you like this new chapter!**

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Hermione was very embarrassed as she hurried away from Professor Snape. Her face burned, and her pace quickened; she just wanted to get away from him. As she stumbled blindly ahead, she realised her feet were taking her towards the Forbidden Forest. She didn't really care, either. She pulled to a sharp halt at the edge of the shadowed trees and glanced around, hoping to see someone, but all was still.

After a moment of standing there, she proceeded into the gloom. She didn't have a clue why she was here, but she knew there was… _something_… waiting for her out there. Something to take her qualms and worries away. Something that could relieve her doubts, fears and suspicions. What that thing was, she didn't know in the least bit, but her mind was subconsciously leading her to it.

All at once, a heavy weight slammed into her back and knocked her to the ground, crushing the breath from her lungs. As she struggled under the weight she felt warm, moist breath on her neck. She rammed upwards with her elbow and hit soft flesh. The thing grunted and she was surprised at the masculine tone. A moment later the weight vanished and she was permitted to rise, and she finally caught sight of her attacker. What she saw caused her to let out a loud shriek of shock.

The… _thing_… infront of her was about a head taller than herself. It had black scales on its arms, legs and face, with heavy golden armor adorned with detailed patterns. Its head was almost humanoid, with medium length black hair and almond shaped eyes with narrow pupils. It lacked a nose, much like Voldemort, and short, pointed horns poked through its dark hair. After a moment of staring, she realised it had a long, narrow bladed sword stained with crimson blood clenched in its hand. The thing caught her staring fearfully at the blade and let out a deep, throaty growl that caused her to recoil slightly.

"I do not mean any harm to you," it spoke in a deep, gravely and undeniably a guys voice. "I only wish to talk."

Taken by surprise, Hermione started backing away slowly when suddenly a pair of hands gripped her shoulders and pulled her backwards. She tried to dislodge the grasp but a voice hissed in her ear, "Stay still and silent."

She gaped. She knew that voice anywhere, but it didn't exactly bring hope to her. She made to question him, but he only clamped his hand over her mouth and glared at her, his dark endless eyes filled with fury. All the while the hideous creature watched with a faint expression of curiosity.

After a moment, Snape released Hermione and stepped forward to stand between her and the creature. "Who are you, and why are you here?" he snarled. "Or should I say, _what _are you?" His hard expression never wavered, his eyes remained cold. Hermione was amazed how unafraid he faced the unknown animal, or whatever it was, in front of him, with no sign of fear at all. She quickly shook the thought. Years of practise with the Dark lord.

"I am Darkenza, the last Prihistorized Saviry of Indoisia." The creature bent at the waist and, to both Hermione's and Snape's astonishment, bowed low to them.

Then, just to add to Hermione's initial shock, Snape stepped forward incredulously. "You—you're a Saviry?" he stammered, to Hermione's surprise. Snape never stammered! This creature must have induced some powerful, rare emotion from the normally unsounded Potions Master. Hermione wondered what it might be as he continued. "I've heard tell of a rare species living in the Forbidden Forest, but never an extinct one!"

"Almost extinct," Darkenza corrected brusquely, but not unkindly. "I am the last, along with…" he trailed off, glancing behind him towards the Forbidden Forest. "My mate, Equinox, also lives here. We have been waiting for you, Severus Tobias Snape, potions master at Hogwarts and spy for Albus Dumbledore." The man in question jerked noticeably at this, shocked at how this unfamiliar creature knew his name, let alone his status at Hogwarts and as double spy. When the initial shock wore off, he glared fiercely at Darkenza, who matched the defiant stare with his own.

"Who are you, and why do you claim to have been looking for me?" he snapped. "And how do you even know me?"

"I know you because I have known you all your life." Snape did a double take at this. "I was always there."

Snape was beyond furious now, and Hermione knew better than to get in his way. As the dark man started towards the creature angrily, a resounding crack echoed through the forest and Snape was thrown backwards, right into Hermione. The Saviry's hand was outstretched in front of him, and sparks winked out at his fingertips. "Do not mess with me, Severus Snape," he growled, low and sinister. "You shall not win."

Snape had been knocked out cold. Hermione struggled to roll him off her as pain lanced through her arm, but her arms trembled and she blanched at the awkward situation. After a moment, Darkenza was standing over her with an unusual look in his eyes as he whispered, "Forgive me, Hermione Granger. I did not mean to harm you." With a flick of his wrist, Snape's unmoving body levitated off her chest and was deposited none too gently a few feet away. Darkenza reached his hand towards her. In surprise, Hermione realised her was offering to help her up. She hesitantly rested her hand in his and allowed him to pull her gently to her feet. She quickly withdrew her hand and stepped back, staring at the ground as Darkenza watched her curiously. "Are you alright, Hermione Granger?" he asked with genuine concern.

"I'm fine," she replied, confused as to why he was so concerned all of a sudden. "What did you do to him?" She let deep concern edge her voice, though she wasn't sure why she cared about the dark man. "Will he be all right?"

"He will be fine," Darkenza rumbled. "I merely stunned him temporarily." He narrowed his eyes and examined her closely. "May I ask why you are concerned? I thought you did not like him?"

"It's not that!" she quickly replied, then recoiled from herself. "Its not that I do not like him. Sure he can be infuriating at times, but I've never hated him." She cursed herself and shook her head, glancing up at the tall Saviry questioningly. "Why are you here?"

After a moment hesitation, he turned his dark eyes towards the lightening sky and said, "I was told to find and bring you or him to…" he paused, unsure how to finish. "…to my master. He wishes to speak to you. But, seeing as you are both here, it would be better for you together to come."

Hermione gaped at him. He wanted them to go with him to a place she'd never even heard of! If she was even going to consider it, for her safety as well as Snape's, she needed more information. "Who is your master?" she asked, although she tried not to be rude. "Why does he want us to come?"

"He has not explained his raison d'être (French for 'reason for existence')," Darkenza growled, obviously unsettled by the question. "But he has told me what to say to you if you asked. He has need of the two of you because of your profound knowledge and young age." He smirked, an interesting thing for Hermione to see, and added, "In your case, that is. He does not know enough of the magical qualities and has requested your audience within the moon."

"But why? Why does he need us, of all people?" Hermione was growing more and more confused by the moment. "What is so special about me?"

Darkenza turned his head to gaze fiercely at her through gleaming eyes. "You have sagacity to match the highest witch or wizard," he growled ominously. Hermione found herself blushing at the Saviry's praise and she quickly averted her eyes as he continued. "If both of you come with me, I can have you back here by the end of the week." His eyes narrowed.

"The end of the week?" Hermione asked incredulously. "But what about my classes? And Snape has to teach, too. Does it have to be now?"

"Yes."

"Wha—what?" Hermione was caught off guard by the abrupt answer. "Why though?"

"He is fading quickly; he cannot survive this… suffering much longer."

"Suffering? Why is he suffering?"

"So many questions," Darkenza smirked with amusement. "You will know all this if you accompany me tonight; however, there is a catch." Hermione stiffened. "I was told to bring you in chains. Would you agree to that?"

"No way!" Hermione instantly replied, then recoiled at the fiery expression Darkenza shot her. "I'm sorry, but I can't agree to that. It's just…" she broke off as a muffled groan sounded a ways away. Turned her head abruptly, she saw Snape had come to and was struggling to his feet, still seemingly dazed. Hermione was surprised at how helpless he seemed as she hurried over to help him to his feet. He yanked his arm away irately and faced Darkenza.

"What have you done?" he demanded, his voice hoarse. "You've no right to be here!"

"No more right than you," he shot back with a snarl. "I've every right you do. And as I explained to Hermione I have need to bring you when I return."

"Well, you can't take us," Snape growled, taking a threatening step towards his rival. Darkenza snapped his fingers and an orb of white flame flickered to life in his palm. Snape froze. Hermione paled.

"I did not want to do this," Darkenza whispered as the ball of fire whizzed towards them.

When Severus came to, there was no telling where he was, what time it was or how he got there. He was in a dark, extremely cramped place that seemed to be barely large enough for him to sit in comfortably. To his horror, it seemed that Granger was also in there, as he could hear her laboured breathing in front of him. As he started racking his mind for a plan, he realised something. He still had no wand, and there wasn't the tiniest sliver of light in the wretched place. How could he escape without magic in a dark-as-night box?

A stifled groan nearly caused him to jump in surprise as Granger returned to consciousness. Severus heard the girl sit up slowly. As she became aware of, that is, unaware of, her surroundings, her breaths quickened to an alarming rate and she started whimpering faintly. Severus rolled his eyes at her fear. She had yet to grow accustomed to things like this. "Miss Granger, you—"

He broke off in shock as she lashed out at him, her nails scoring across his face; hot blood trickled from the wound. Furious, he grabbed her wrist and growled as she started sobbing uncontrollably. "I—I'm sorry, I didn't—didn't know it was y—you! I thought it was that—that awful thing…" she trailed off, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Severus sighed and released her arm, scooting backwards away from her trembling form. What had he done? He had let that foul creature take them hostage, that's what. And now they were crammed in a box, with not a clue where they were or where they were going. He couldn't think of a less abhorrent situation than this. How he wished he still had magic; then he berated himself. It was his own fault he lacked it; he had chosen this path, and he would modify it as soon as he could.

"P—professor?" The trembling whisper sounded shaky, almost hesitant. "I—I am so sorry, I didn't mean to hur—hurt you…"

Severus couldn't help but feel a twinge of uneasiness and commiseration for the girl; she had been through so much these past couple of weeks, it was probably making her more stressed than any amount of classes. But right now was not the time for panicking. "Miss Granger, I know you are feeling stressed," he began stiffly, quietly. "But if we are going to escape, you must learn to control your feelings. That is, if you are as intelligent in that as you are in potions," he added with a smirk into the darkness.

Hermione gaped, though she knew he couldn't see it. If she had heard correctly, Professor Snape had just given her a compliment! Mind her, it was at the same time as he insulted her, but a compliment all the same. She felt a stab of triumph that quickly faded, considering their situation. If they never escaped, or were kept hostage wherever they were going, what was there to celebrate? Finally she answered Snape's question. "I—I _am_ sorry for overreacting like that," she whispered, "but I was telling the truth; I thought you were Darkenza." She still couldn't believe she was in this mess, with her potions master, at that!

"Very well," Snape said coldly. "Did you bring your wand?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then get it out and light it."

After a moment of rummaging in her robes, Hermione found her wand and held it up; she was surprised Darkenza hadn't confiscated it. "Lumos," she said quietly. At once bright light flooded the box holding them and Hermione could tell exactly how small it was. There were only about six wand heights of clearance between the ceiling and base, and about seven wands squared. _Not the ideal sized box to be trapped with your least favourite teacher in_, Hermione thought grimly as she lowered her wand. Snape was hunched over awkwardly so his head didn't bang the ceiling; Hermione's hair just brushed the wood overhead.

"You can direct that light elsewhere," he suddenly growled, squinting in the brightness. She averted the glow and set the wand down so it pointed towards the wall. "Now, what spells do you know could work on opening that door?" Snape asked gruffly after a moment.

Now that he pointed it out, Hermione noticed there was a narrow slice in the wood to her left with a tiny key hole. She shrugged. "The Unlocking Spell?" she suggested. Snape rolled his eyes but gestured for her to try. She flicked her wand and muttered, "Effringo."

Nothing happened.

"Oh…" was all Hermione said. After a moment of staring dejectedly at her wand, her head snapped up and she stared fiercely at Snape. "Why couldn't you try? Did you not bring your wand?"

Snape groaned to himself and turned his head, not saying a word. When Hermione started to ask again, he snarled and she fell silent; so much for long term cover; she had crossed the line and asked the dreaded question. What was he to do now? Tell her? Ignore the question? After a moment, he decided to ignore it unless she asked again. Typical know-it-all, she did.

"Professor? Is everything alright?" Insufferable know-it-all. Of course she had to ask just as he resolved the issue.

"Is that any of your concern, Granger?" he snapped harshly. In the faint light, he saw her flinch slightly, but it didn't deter her inquiries.

"I—I was just wondering why you couldn't try the spell yourself…?" Hermione seemed genuinely curious, as if it would kill her if she didn't know. With a resigned sigh, Snape began, forgetting in the moment that they were in a box heading to their presumable doom.

"Miss Granger, when I said I would allow you to research the spell used to revive you, I didn't think that we would end up in this situation before you got the chance to." He paused uncertainly, unsure how to continue. "The spell used was invented long ago, when a young girl's friend was killed by Death Eaters, though why they were caught fighting Death Eaters is still a mystery. The girl wanted to bring her friend back, and she did, but there was a nasty side effect. She could no longer use m—"

"Hey! Shut up in there!" a gruff voice sounded above them as Darkenza started pounding loudly on the side of the box. Hermione started, her eyes wide with terror, and Snape smirked at her fear; he would not be so easily scared by a sound. But then again, hardly anything scared him. Not the Dark Lord, not Death Eaters, not even death; the only thing that could make him cringe was…

He jumped slightly as a tentative hand touched his arm. Hermione was staring at him with concern clear on her still frozen face; her eyes were pleading desperately with him to get them out of this mess. He couldn't agree more with the incompetent girl; he too was impatient to escape this claustrophobically small box, if he could call it that. There was no room for him to move in there, and his already sore back was starting to ache. As Granger withdrew her arm, the light emitting from her wand started to flicker, hardly noticeably at first, then eventually started to dim rapidly until it eventually went out altogether, plunging them into darkness once again.

Instantly, Hermione felt herself tense up apprehensively. A chill settled in the air, sending goose bumps scurrying up and down her spine, causing her to shiver violently. As they sat in silence, Hermione suddenly got up the nerve to speak. "Professor Snape, sir?" her voice shook and she paused before continuing. "What were you saying? That girl could no longer use what?"

Snape sighed and hesitated. Did her really want to tell her? Now that he was really thinking about it, he wasn't so sure; how would the girl react if she knew what he had done for her? Unwillingly done for her, that is. He would not have even considered it had the Dark Lord not demanded him bring the girl. If that had not happened, he would have let the incompetent insufferable know-it-all remain in her dead state. As it was, he now had to face to consequences of letting his feelings and duty to evil get the better of him, and this was his punishment; being trapped in a box going who-knew-where with her.

Then, a thought hit him and his decision flat lined; he now knew that if she did know what had happened that day, his life may well be over for him. He could hardly dare think the notion, but it was there, all the same. And he knew, by that solitary thought, that if he told her his secret, she would never forgive him.

When he realised Hermione was still waiting for an answer, he hardened his voice and repeated, more forcibly this time, "That is none of your concern, girl."

Shocked and, to her surprise, slightly hurt at Snape's suddenly harsh words, Hermione fell silent and hunched in her corner, not daring to question him further. What had caused this sudden change in behaviour for the Potions Master? What had induced this snappier than usual self?

She shook herself and growled softly. There were too many unanswered questions running through her mind, and she hated that he wouldn't answer any of them, so she made herself stop asking them. After a moment of awkward silence between the two of them, Hermione realised something.

"Professor Snape?"

"What now, Granger?" he hissed from between clenched teeth.

Hermione noticed, quite plainly, his tone of voice, and wondered if he was tired of her ineffectual questions she kept throwing at him; it was obvious she was starting to get on the short-tempered professors' nerves, but she needed to know. "How did you know what Darkenza was, and how did he know who you were?"

Snape snorted, amused; of course the all-knowing girl would notice that. But he wasn't ready to answer her; she didn't have to know everything in this world—she only wanted to—and this was one thing she definitely wasn't going to know. "Miss Granger now is not the time to ask such maddening questions. If we get out of this… mess… I may tell you; until then, stay silent!"

Hermione didn't hear his last snapped words, for at that moment the box jolted, throwing her forwards, right into Snape. She felt him shudder as she crashed against him and he tried to shove her off, but the forward motion prevented him from doing so. She winced as her body became bruised from all the battering, and she suddenly realised this entire situation was all her fault—if she had not gone out for a walk that night, she would never have had that discussion with Snape, never have been embarrassed to the point of foolishly running into the Forbidden Forest, and never would have seen Darkenza. At that moment she wished there were some way she could fix this, some way to make this right. But it was too late. They were imprisoned with no way out, going who knew where, and with a creature they knew next to nothing about. What's the worst that could happen? she thought with a grimace. As luck would have it, the moment the thought entered her mind, the thing transporting them pulled to an abrupt halt and Hermione was thrown backwards against the opposite wall, her head hitting solidness and she blacked out.

When she came to, all was silent. Not a sound came from outside, or inside for that matter, and Hermione wondered if they had been abandoned somewhere on the side of the road. The thought made her shivering with fear. A faint gasp escaped her throat, and the moment it did a hand clamped over her mouth and another gripped her arm; she instinctively reached up with her free hand to claw at it until a voice hissed close to her ear.

"Stay quiet and listen!" Snape removed his hand from her mouth, allowing her to breathe, and she fell silent. That's when Hermione heard the voices; faint, barely discernable, but there. As she picked out stray words from the conversation, her heart dropped to her feet.

"Darkenza… back… prisoners secured?"

"Yes… here…"

"…still alive?"

"… sure of it… the Death Eater… a hard piece of… subdued…"

"Good."

Hermione knew now; from these two conversers had said, her fears had been confirmed.

They were prisoners.

As the realisation sank in, she felt a chill of apprehension shoot up her spine and she wondered how ever they were going to get out of this terrible mess. When she tried to move into a more comfortable position, a jolt shot through her and she froze, waiting for the tremor to pass. She remained frozen for a moment, still trying to process what was happening.

They had been kidnapped by a Saviry who wanted to kill them.

Easy enough, ignoring the fact that they were now in unfamiliar territory, it wasn't that bad actually. They were heading towards their death. No big deal. They were trapped in a tiny box. A clinch. They were trapped in a tiny box together. Definitely not her first idea for a kidnapping, but still, no problem.

"You still alive in there?" a voice outside snapped, then was followed by laughter. Apparently the foul creatures hadn't left yet.

Hermione remained silent, but at that moment, something snapped against the box and a tiny sliver of light appeared right behind Hermione and she suddenly realized; she was leaning against the door! She considered scooting away from it, but she was sure Snape wouldn't be too happy about that, so she just sat forward so she didn't fall out when it opened.

When it did, she was nearly blinded by the sudden stream of sunlight that hit her full force. She squeezed her eyes shut, clawing at them in pain. When she recovered, she could see well enough to make out the shape of two Saviries standing on either side of the entrance, grim expressions of their faces. When they saw her staring, the one on the left, who she saw was Darkenza himself, growled menacingly and jerked his head at her. Confused as to what he wanted, she stared at him blankly. When she didn't move, he reached out, grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her down to the ground. She collapsed when she tried to stand and a gasp of pain escaped her throat as her head cracked against the side of the box.

Darkenza rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Clumsy, are we?" he snorted with slight amusement.

"Hurry up, Dark!" the other Saviry snapped haughtily, impatiently. "He won't wait much longer."

"I am; your so impatient, Equinox."

Hermione wondered who 'he' could be, that is until Darkenza pulled her upright again, distracting her from her thoughts. This time, though her legs quivered, she remained upright as the other Saviry, Equinox, started leading her away. Then she remembered something.

"Why are you taking just me?" she demanded hotly. "What about—"

A clout to her ear silenced her, scalding pain causing her to stagger as her vision flashed red and black. She turned to see Equinox glaring at her through slitted yellow eyes and she averted her eyes. This was one angry creature, if not angry, then murderous.

"Your Professor Snape will be coming soon," Darkenza replied to her half spoken question. "Before that, though, I have some… matters… to settle with him."

Hermione was afraid of what Darkenza meant by 'matters'; it couldn't be good, though, judging by the gleam in his eyes. With a shudder, she followed Equinox down the path. She took that moment of silence to take in her surroundings.

They were walking down a narrow dirt path, barely wide enough for her to walk on without crossing into the grass, with dense shadowed trees closing in on either side. A full, white moon floated lazily overhead, casting long shadows across the trail, while at the same time, wispy clouds threatened to plunge the forest into darkness. Hermione didn't see another living creature, human or other, around. It was as if the forest itself was… _dead._

"Hurry up, girl!"

Hermione nearly tripped when Equinox snapped at her; realizing too late that she had stopped walking, she forced her sore legs to carry her forwards towards the malicious Saviry, who hadn't slowed her pace in the least bit. As she caught up, she noticed a sharp bend a ways ahead of them. A shiver of trepidation ran up her spine; she didn't want to imagine what could be around that bend. As they rounded it, Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

About twenty yards ahead of them was a tall, Iron Gate with sharp barbs emphasising the smooth curve on its crest. Magic crackled visibly, and Hermione knew that anyone foolish enough to try robbing the place would be instantly disabled or even killed.

"Pick it up or I'll kill you now!" Equinox snapped impatiently.

"Sorry," Hermione muttered as she again hurried ahead.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," the Saviry growled with barely suppressed loathing for the Gryffindor. "If it doesn't stop, I'll—"

"You'll what?" a voice sneered from the shadows, causing Hermione to jump. "I hope you're not threatening my prey," the voice said again, though still not revealing the speaker. "You wouldn't want to get on my bad side, would we now?"

Hermione felt her heart drop to her feet and dismay built up inside her; that voice was unmistakable, and for Hermione, it carried bad memories. That woman had once tortured her, branded her and tried to kill her. Her fears were confirmed when someone stepped into the moonlight to her right, her wild, black hair frizzed, giving her the look of a mad woman.

Equinox snarled. "Bellatrix Lestrange."

Severus warily watched Darkenza, who was circling him slowly, his eyes never leaving the Saviry; these creatures were unexpected, ruthless, and, above all, murderous when angered. Severus wasn't about to anger Darkenza, but perhaps he didn't need t. perhaps he was already angered.

"So, _Professor,_" Darkenza sneered, "how are you feeling today? Happy? Excited? Nervous?"

Severus just narrowed his eyes.

"Well," he continued, his red eyes flashing, "you should feel none of those. You should feel fear, terror, and useless, for I am about to make your greatest fear come true. Tell me, Severus; what _is_ your biggest fear? Death? Or maybe the Dark Lord?"

"I fear nothing," Severus retorted, and instantly knew it was the wrong thing to say.

"You shall fear _me!" _Darkenza leaped at the Potions Master, slamming into his chest and driving the air from his lungs as they crashed to the ground. Gasping for breath, Severus tried desperately to shove Darkenza off but to no avail; he could feel his brain clouding and he saw stars flashing in front of him. His blows to the cackling Saviry were growing weaker even as the laughing increased in volume until Darkenza's weight suddenly vanished, to Severus's surprise. As he gulped air into his starving lungs, a sudden, agonizing pain erupted in his back as razor sharp claws dug into his back, white hot, excruciating pain that cause Severus to tremble and cry out in agony as Darkenza tore through him.

"This will teach you to resist me!" Darkenza shrieked hysterically even as his claws and teeth ripped through flesh and blood sprayed everywhere. Severus felt himself growing weaker until his body gave one last jerk and went limp, his breathing short and shallow.

Darkenza rose, crimson blood dripping from his chin, a satisfied sneer on his face. "That will teach you, _Snape," _he whispered ominously at the quivering body at his feet. Throwing his head back, Darkenza howled his triumph to the darkened sky.

"So, Granger," Bellatrix hissed as she traced Hermione's jawline with a manicured nail. "No one here to save you now. How does that feel?"

Equinox growled. "Bellatrix, leave. I was told to bring her, not you. If you do not, I shall have no choice but to—"

"What, exactly?" Bellatrix laughed. "Kill me? He'd have your skin it you lay finger on me. I think I shall take the girl from here."

"I was told to bring her," the Saviry repeated.

"I was told to bring her," Bellatrix mocked with a derisive sneer. "Yeah, yeah, well, you can't make me go away, so why don't you leave before someone gets hurt?"

Equinox took up defensive posture and narrowed her eyes. "Who'll get hurt? You? If you think I'm going to walk away, you can just—"

She broke off as an agonizing cry rent the air from the direction she and Hermione had come. Bellatrix's eyes gleamed and a smirk formed on her pale face. "It seems as though Darkenza has at last had his revenge on Severus," she remarked as Hermione struggled vainly against her restraints, her face twisted into an expression of grief and terror.

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**A/N I felt bad for Hermione and Severus even as I typed this, and I just had to leave a good cliffhanger; hopefully its not too bad. I know; I'm terrible. Please review; they help me update faster, and thank you so much for your patience with me.**

**And, there is no way it's coming in a week... sorry...**


	8. Dragon's Flight

**A/N Here's your next chapter! See, that was quicker update wasn't it? lol Hope you like it, this was a really fun chappie to write! And, if anyone knows anything, my other Fic, 'Dear FanFiction', has been reported by someone. When I find out who did it, that person is... Just kidding. :) I'm not the threatening type. If you know who did it, let me know. That was a lot of hard work getting that out. I'm republishing it soon but still...**

**Disclaimer: Do I write like J. K. Rowling? No? Then I'm not her. I wish though. XD I really should be putting disclaimers in here...**

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Can we try for 25 this chapter? I'll update sooner this time if we can!**

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"No! No, you can't take me there, please!"

Hermione struggled ferociously in Bellatrix's grip, her nails digging into the Death Eaters' arms as she clawed and thrashed, trying desperately to escape. Terror exploded inside her at the memory of Professor Snape's cry being cut off abruptly. She still didn't know what had happened, and Bellatrix wasn't giving anything away. To her horror, Bellatrix had informed her a moment ago that the castle they were standing in front of was Malfoy Manor, and Hermione was even more desperate than ever to get away. This was the last place she wanted to be right now.

"Shut up, you little Mudblood," Bellatrix spat as she tightened her grip, her wand digging into Hermione's neck. The Gryffindor whimpered as she realised there was no way she was going to escape as they neared Malfoy Manor; they were greeted at the iron gate by a masked Death Eater who had his wand held at ready.

"Who are you?" he demanded gruffly.

"Move aside, you idiot," Bellatrix snapped. "Don't you know your superiors when you see them?" She spat at the Death Eater as he moved quickly aside to admit them. Hermione was shoved roughly forward and they passed through the gate. There was no way out now.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked boldly, but the quiver was evident in her voice, and Bellatrix was quick to notice.

"Scared?" she taunted, dragging her up towards Malfoy Manor. "Isn't it obvious where I'm taking you? The Dark Lord has need of you, so I'm just following orders. Now shut up before I give you a taste of the Cruciatus!"

Hermione fell silent, more out of fatigue than fear of the woman restraining her; if she was going before Voldemort, there was no way she would have a hope of escaping alive in her weakened state. He would most likely torture her, try to get some information out of her, then most likely kill her if she proved useless. She shuddered involuntarily. For some reason the memory of being dead didn't appeal to her.

Hermione suddenly realised they had reached the base of the stone stairs leading to the front door. Glancing upwards, she saw that most of the windows in the manor were dark; however, she counted at least seven that had candles in their windows, casting a faint glow into the darkness. The building was very old, handed down from generation to generation of the Malfoy's, each time getting a little shabbier, a little more dusty. By present day, it looked more like a well used castle than a manor housing the most infamous wizard of the century, but it still had a malevolent aura about it, sending shivers up Hermione's spine. This place was entirely evil.

As they advanced up the shallow and crumbling stairs, Hermione suddenly realised how sore she was. Her legs ached from all the walking, her arms, tied behind her back, were starting to lose their feeling, and her eyes still stung from the biting wind and from when she had been crying. They reached the apex of the stairs and she felt ready to collapse from exhaustion. Bellatrix raised an arm and rapped on the aged wood that made up the front door. After a few moments, the door opened a crack and an ugly, rat-like face with uneven hair appeared around the corner, beady eyes glaring.

"Who goes there?" the face squeaked from between pursed lips.

"Shut up, Wormtail," Bellatrix snapped at the man. "Let me through or else!"

The man, Wormtail, cringed and retreated into the building with muttered curses. Bellatrix turned to face Hermione, her eyes full of disgust and abhorrence. "Now, you little Mudblood, if you so much as make a single wrong move, I'll have you gutted before you can beg forgiveness. Am I understood?" When Hermione nodded, Bellatrix still seemed dubious, but yanked her into through the threshold and into Malfoy Manor.

Hermione was shocked at how fancy the inside was compared to the exterior. Expensive drapery hung across the walls, fancy furniture embroidered with intricate golden patterns was arranged in a semicircle and to top it all off, literally, a gold chandelier laden with solid jewels hung majestically from the ceiling. Hermione was surprised that such an evil dwelling could be so clean and organised. She had imagined it to be dusty, dark, and everything to be covered in spider webs; instead, it looked like it could fit right in at Hogwarts.

"Now, you filthy little Mudblood," Bellatrix's snappish remark jolted Hermione from her mind. "You know where I am taking you I expect? To the Dark Lord. And you are not to speak a word unless you are spoken to first, I would suggest you don't try to escape, and if you wish to live, you will do exactly what you are commanded. Am I understood? Do not try anything stupid." Bellatrix's eyes flashed as she spoke, and Hermione suddenly felt hopeless; she would never escape this place with this woman breathing down her neck all the time.

All the same, she nodded acquiesce; now was not the time for obstinacy or stubbornness. It may well get her killed.

Seeming satisfied, at least to an extent, Bellatrix gripped Hermione's arm tighter and dragged her out of the fancy sitting room and into a long, narrow corridor; faintly flickering spheres of light were set at regular intervals along the walls, lighting the way hazily. Every now and then, one of the lights would hiss and Hermione could have sworn it was mocking her, as if her presence here was noticed even by the house itself. The thought made her insides twist in knots.

At that moment, Bellatrix pulled to an abrupt halt. Glancing up to see why they had stopped, Hermione saw four cloaked Death Eaters advancing on them on the other side of the hall. Bellatrix sighed in exasperation and it was then Hermione recognised one of the Death Eaters.

It was Lucius Malfoy, a pure-blood wizard and father to Draco Malfoy, the annoying Slytherin boy who detested her, Harry and Ron almost as much as they did him. The evil man was currently serving a Voldemort's right hand, a rank given after he had stayed loyal to him, even after the Dark lord had been temporarily defeated by Harry Potter.

Now, as the pale man stalked meaningfully down the hall towards them. Hermione noticed he seemed… different, somehow. His face was paler than usual and was contorted into a faint grimace of pain that never wavered. She wondered if it was his age or something else; maybe just being around the Dark Lord was taking its toll on the Death Eater.

But she didn't have any more time to ponder this for right then the four Death Eaters stopped in front of her, their gleaming eyes taking her in. She glared right back until Lucius spoke.

"Bellatrix, what are you doing?" he growled. "This girl was not yours to take."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and cackled. "You can't tell me what to do. Severus didn't do his job so I did it for him. The Saviry has taken care of him." She grinned nastily.

Lucius seemed startled, his gaunt features deepening. "Darkenza? He was supposed to—"

"Yes, yes," Bellatrix cut in. "I know what he was supposed to do. But he also failed, so I took over. Now, let me pass." She jutted her chin out defiantly, daring him to argue.

"I can't let you pass; the Dark Lord doesn't take kindly to those who openly defy him. I suggest you leave until your own task is complete."

"You can't tell me what to do, _Lucius!" _Bellatrix's eyes flashed with fury and she released Hermione's arm to reach for her wand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The calm voice made everyone jump, including Lucius. The all whipped around to see Darkenza staring at them with his arms crossed across his chest, his red eyes glaring. Dried blood was crusted around his claws and a look of triumph was plastered on his face. "If you try hexing anyone, Bellatrix, you will be sorry."

"Oh, so now an animal is trying to order me around?" she snorted derision. "I don't think so." The female Death Eater shoved Hermione towards Darkenza, who started in surprise. "She was Severus's job, but since you likely killed him, she's yours now. Have fun." With that, and a last sneer, Bellatrix pushed past Darkenza and sauntered down the hall the way she had come.

Hermione was now standing in the middle of the hall with four irate Death Eaters and one furious Saviry glaring at her. Not the best position to be in at a time like this.

Luckily, she was saved from having to escape or dodge any spells by voices from around the corner, quickly getting closer. She didn't have to wait long before two more Death Eaters rounded the corner; one had his wand out and was levitating a body that appeared to be unconscious through the air about a yard above the ground. Though she couldn't see the persons face, she knew he—or she—was terribly hurt. Their black cloak was covered in drying blood and they were trembling in agony. Hermione almost felt sorry for the person.

When the two Death Eaters saw the gathering in the middle of the hall, they stopped and glanced at Lucius questioningly though not respectfully.

"Alecto, Amycus," Lucius sneered coldly. "What are you doing here, and who is that?"

The first Death Eater, Alecto, grinned wickedly. "I think you might want to see for yourself," he suggested.

Lucius eyed him with distrust but took a step forward so he could lift the unknown mans hood. What he saw obviously pleased him, for he grinned maliciously and asked, "Where did you find him?"

This time the other newcomer, Amycus, answered. "He was at Elevate Summit, near dead when we found him."

"He sure looks dead right now," one of the Death Eaters behind Lucius commented.

"Shut up, Avery," Lucius snapped at him, and Avery fell silent.

"He's not," Amycus said. "The Dark Lord would not be pleased if he were to die in our… _care._" He spat the last word like poison.

"True."

"Then what do we do with him?" Amycus still had not acknowledged Hermione, and he showed no signs of doing so, but she could tell he was well aware of her presence. "Should we tell the Dark Lord?" the Carrow brother continued. "In any case, he may be needed…"

"No!"

Hermione jumped at Darkenza's sudden growl. She had almost forgotten the Saviry was still there and as he continued, she was surprised at the force in his deep voice.

"If you reveal this now, he'll likely have you killed. I would not suggest it in the least bit." He sounded almost as if he was begging them not to report this.

"And who are you to order me around?" Lucius demanded sharply. "I am your superior; are you contradicting that?"

"No," was the reply after a moment, then: "But I have every right to voice my opinion."

Apparently that was the wrong reply, for in an instant, Lucius had his wand drawn and had the Saviry against the wall by his throat. "You are never to say anything like that to me again; if you do I swear I'll—"

He was cut off as Avery and the other two Death Eaters grabbed him by the arms, yanking him roughly away from Darkenza. Lucius shoved them off and backed away, furiously glaring at them.

Hermione had backed away from the angry wizards and was now watching the scenes before her, terrified to what would happen if they remembered she was there and listening to every word spoken. She held her breath as Lucius spoke again.

"Why do you not want us to report his injuries?" he spat at Darkenza. "Are you scared?" his voice was filled with mockery.

"I do not scare easily," Darkenza replied, "but if you must know, I will tell you. It is because it was I who inflicted them."

You could have heard a pin drop a mile away; no one had expected that kind of answer. Hermione gaped, then realised something Bellatrix had said.

"It seems as though Darkenza has at last had his revenge on Severus," she had said. Suddenly, the pieces fit together perfectly in Hermione's mind. First, Darkenza had shown up with blood staining his fur, then the Death Eaters had shown up with a fatally injured man, and now the Saviry confessed he was the one who had hurt this mysterious man. Was it a coincidence…?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, someone grabbed her roughly by the arm and her eyes widened in terror as they began dragging her down the hall, going faster than she could keep up. She stumbled along, banishing the thought of escape, her feet struggling to keep up with… whoever is was. They rounded a few corners and panic started welling inside her as she realised they were getting further and further from where she had entered Malfoy Manor with Bellatrix.

All at once, her captor veered into a small room, throwing her to the ground and slamming the door behind them. Hermione hurriedly scrambled to her feet and was shocked to see one of the two unknown Death Eaters standing there, his arms crossed and a strange look in his dark eyes. He hadn't spoken a single word since he had appeared with Lucius, and Hermione was instantly suspicious of him. He also hadn't taken off his hood and she couldn't even see his face. She was suspicious, yes, but also very curious. Who was this man?

As if to answer her unspoken question, the faceless Death Eater reached one hand up slowly and started to pull back his hood…

Severus was walking down the corridors in Hogwarts, heading towards Dumbledore's office. He pulled to a stop next to the stone gargoyle and muttered, "Lemon Drop," hence the password, and the gargoyle sprang to life, moved aside, and admitted him up the twisting stairs. As he entered the Headmasters office, he noticed Albus standing on the other side of the room, gazing at Fawkes.

"Remember," he said without looking at Severus. "You must be as a Phoenix, Severus. You need to let go of your worries, doubts, and most of all, your past. Those things are not important right now. You can be reborn as a new man, with a new life bursting from the ashes."

Severus' eyes widened. He had already been here, heard these exact words! Why was he here again?

Then he remembered something. He looked down and saw his robes were clean, no blood or dirt staining them from where Darkenza had clawed and bitten him. If he was here, and Darkenza was still there…

_Granger!_

It hit him suddenly like a curse. She was still at that terrible place with those terrible Savirii, who were probably either torturing her or had already killed her. How could he let this happen?

It was then he realised Albus had turned and was watching him calmly. "Go help her, Severus," he said. "And she might help you."

Severus felt his sight grow dim and fuzzy, his legs went weak, and he fell towards the ground, his mind losing all functions.

His eyes flew open and instantly sharp knives of pain shot through him. He was still lying where he had been when he blacked out, and when he opened his eyes, he realised the sun was setting in the west. How long had he been out? he wondered. When he had been left, the sun was setting then, so either he'd only been out for a few minutes, or…

Suddenly, voices could be heard from the general direction of the trees. Ignoring the throbs in his injuries, Severus braced his arm against the ground and pushed himself into a sitting position, waiting a brief moment for his eyes to adjust to the light. When they did, he rose shakily to his feet and started towards the nearby trees, away from the sound of voices. He recognised one if them; Amycus Carrow, a Death Eater who had a very low position in Voldemort's ranks. They were now close enough that Severus could make out what they were saying.

"…where he was, but it took me an eternity to find them," came Amycus' sneer of derision.

The other Death Eater, as was now recognised as Amycus' brother, Alecto, let out a burst of fake laughter. "Oh, yeah? And why didn't you kill him?"

"I told you, I never found where he was! How can I kill someone if I don't know where they are?"

They fell silent for a moment, and it was then a huge wave of dizziness hit Severus full-blown. He had lost so much blood his mind was temporarily shutting down so his heart could replenish it. He swayed on his feet, struggling to stay upright, before it overpowered him and he crumpled to the ground, right into the path of the Carrow brothers.

Now, to say the two were surprised would be a pitiful understatement. In truth, they nearly fainted themselves, and they had right to after seeing Severus Snape, fellow Death Eater, covered in blood, collapse right in front of them unexpectedly. After a moment of debating what to do, they realised they couldn't leave him there, so Amycus cast a levitating spell and drifted the unconscious man back to Malfoy Manor.

"How did you get here?" Hermione gasped as the Death Eater drew his hood back to reveal none other than Harry Potter himself. She had no clue as to how he had passed all the other Death Eaters or even got into Malfoy Manor, but she didn't care right now as she flung her arms around his neck; all that mattered was that he was here now.

Harry laughed and answered her delighted inquiry. "It was a simple matter to knock the nearest Death Eater out so I could take a couple of his hairs for Polyjuice Potion," he grinned. "Then all I had to do was get in here with Lucius." He shrugged. "Not as easy at it sounds to be honest."

"How did you know I was here?" Hermione asked, still shocked at Harry's sudden appearance. Then, something else registered in her head. "Polyjuice Potion? How did you use Polyjuice Potion if it takes a whole month to prepare it?"

"Not now," he hissed, his voice suddenly a lot lower. "I need to get you out of here before Lucius comes looking for me. Let's go..."

Hermione yanked her arm from Harry's grip. "Wait!"

"What?"

"Professor Snape!" Hermione's eyes were wide with fear. "He's still here somewhere!"

Harry's eyes darkened. "You didn't know?"

Hermione could sense something bad coming, but she asked anyway, her heart sinking horribly. "Know what?"

"That man the Carrow's were carrying in? That was Snape. I thought you saw him..." Harry was confused. "Why do you care? That greasy git works for Voldemort. They won't kill him."

Hermione gaped. "We have to help him!" she blurted.

"Why?"

She stumbled with her words, not sure how to respond. Finally, she just said with carefully measured words, "I just think we should help him escape too. Who knows what they'll do to him?"

Harry contemplated her with interest, then shrugged.

Hermione sighed in relief, then her eyes narrowed in concentration. "So, we know the Carrows have him but what we need is a distraction..."

For some reason unknown to Hermione, Harry grinned. "I think I've got that under control," he smirked. Hermione wasn't sure she wanted to ask what he meant.

"Are you sure about this?" Hermione stammered nervously as Harry took her hand in preparation to Apparate and smiled reassuringly at her. He had explained to her very vividly his well thought-out plan, from the smallest detail to the whole big picture, and had repeated it to her until she knew her part in it without fail. He said if she forgot any part of it, it could ruin the entire thing and the plan would backfire with terrible results. She tried her best to remember it, and when she was confident in herself, they took the first step of Harry's plan.

"Of course I'm sure," Harry laughed, and Hermione wondered how he could be so cheerful at a time like this, what with the mortal danger they were in. "I have been thinking about this plan since I took the Polyjuice Potion. I know it will work."

Hermione wasn't as sure, but she didn't say that out loud; no use smashing his confidence with her childish doubts.

"So, are you absolutely sure you're ready?" Hermione tried to nod confidentially, but it was more of a nervous jerk of her head, and with that simple nod, Harry Apparated.

When Severus opened his eyes slowly, again, he instantly recognised where he was: Malfoy Manor, in the small, cramped room designed for traitors to the Dark Lord and enemies to be put on trial. The walls were a dirty white, with chipped paint, and there was no furniture but for a single, wooden chair bolted to the dusty floor in the middle of the room. Severus came to realise that whoever had brought him there had left him on the cold hard ground, and he wondered why he was there in the first place. He could have been as an enemy, but that seemed highly unlikely as he was considered one of Voldemort's most loyal followers; or they might have put him here because they thought him a traitor. As the first option was not likely, that left only that they thought him a traitor.

But why?

He couldn't remember anything he might have done that would induce such thoughts, but then again, you never knew with Death Eaters; they would find fault with anyone so they could torture or kill them, just to satisfy their thirst for blood and murder. Severus knew from experience; he had been subject to the Cruciatus Curse numerous times, and he was not eager for it again. He was apprehensive for what they would do him as their prisoner; if they decided to put him under the curse again, he wasn't sure how long he could handle it, especially with his wounds present.

As if the thought had sparked his brain, dull, throbbing pain shot through him, causing him to groan as he tried to fight against it; it wouldn't be the best thing to show weakness at a time like this, in the cell of this awful place. He never thought he would be on this side of that closed door, and his mind grew shadowed. Oh, what he wouldn't give to still have his magic; he could surely escape if he did.

It was then noises could be heard outside the door, and Severus quickly struggled to his feet, not wanting to be supposed weak. Not a moment too soon, as the door swung open without a sound and Alecto and Avery entered, followed closely by Lucius Malfoy, who didn't look very happy at all. A deep frown creased his face and his eyes were smoldering pits. When he saw Severus standing there, facing them, his frown only deepened into a scowl and he gestured at Alecto and Avery to guard the door, which also happened to be Severus' only possible means of escape.

"So, you might be wondering why you are here, correct?" Lucius guessed with a malicious grin. When Severus didn't respond, Lucius sighed dramatically as he leaned his back against the white wall. "One would think you would be more agreeable in a position such as this," he commented; Severus still didn't speak, merely watching him curiously with a blank expression. "Still as stubborn as ever, I see."

"Not stubborn, just not worthy to be in the same room as you, let alone speak to you," Severus finally said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You'll pay dearly for that one, Severus," Lucius snapped heatedly as the cynicism sunk in. "When this is over, you'll be unrecognisable. Now, if I were you, I would behave."

"And if you were me, then I would be you, and if I were you, I would run as far away from here as I could," Severus retorted, his black eyes flaring.

The comment made a faint whooshing noise as it shot over Lucius's head, but the Death Eater ignored him, instead turning his head slightly. "I have orders not to kill you, or harm you, but if this keeps up, it may be worth a few rounds of the Cruciatus to be rid of you for good."

"Oh, you would get more than the Cruciatus if you kill me," Severus pointed out discreetly.

"What?" Lucius demanded harshly.

Before Severus could answer with another smart remark, a pounding on the door started Alecto so bad he dropped his wand as he was lifting it in defense. Lucius cast the clumsy Death Eater a withering look, muttering something like, "How did he eve get in with us?" and flung the door open to reveal Amycus standing there, gasping for breath.

Lucius was instantly alert. "What happened?" he demanded.

Amycus held up a finger, and when he got his breath back, he managed to say, "I'm not sure… not sure what it is… something at the doors… looks like a big creature of sorts… had wings…"

Severus couldn't see Lucius's face because Lucius had his back to him, but he could tell the Malfoy was starting to panic because his shoulders tensed and he snapped, "Show me where it is!"

Amycus turned and stumbled down the hall. Before he vanished, Lucius cast a last order at Avery and Alecto a last command: "Do not let him escape or else!" Neither wanted to ask what he meant by 'or else'. They turned and glared at Severus, as if daring him to try escaping. He just held up his hands in mock surrender and he heard Alecto mutter to Avery, "And this guy used to be on our side?"

"I still am," Severus stated simply.

Alecto was startled that his comment had been heard, but he ignored Severus, instead staring off into the non-existent distance, his face set. Severus took this time to think about what could have possibly been dire enough to draw Lucius away from his prisoner. Usually, he would be in there interrogating one for hours, and when he finally left the room, his victim would be singing like a bird. And now, he didn't even have time to ask Severus more than two questions before he let himself be distracted.

While he had been deep in thought, he didn't detect the faint rumbling from the ground until it grew enough force to be barely audible. When he finally noticed it, his gaze instantly traveled around the room to land on the two Death Eaters, who had also perked up and were also glancing around in confusion. Severus saw the unguarded door and, ignoring the pain in his side, he bolted for it, but he wasn't quick enough and was quickly thrown backwards. Amycus and Avery were more cautious then, and now barred the way solidly with wands outstretched.

While they had been distracted by the confusion, no one had noticed the rumbling had grown to a roar, as if something big was flapping in the wind. And that's when all hell broke loose.

A deafening roar nearly burst their eardrums, shattering glass windows all throughout the house with its force. The entire building started to tremble noticeably as if the world was splitting underneath it and a bone jarring jolt shook the house as something big slammed into it. Amycus and Avery were thrown to the ground, but Severus managed to stay on his feet by grabbing the wooden chair bolted to the floor. As the shaking subsided, he started dragging himself towards the again unguarded exit; Avery had been knocked out and Amycus was still struggling to stand.

All at once the empty wall opposite the door exploded inwards, sending boulders and rocks hurtling towards Severus and leaving a gaping hole in the stonework. As Severus dodged hurtling projectiles and saw the sky outside, he suddenly realised how late it seemed to be. He guessed he'd been in this room for at least twenty four hours, but he would never have imagined he was out that long. The sky was lightening—or darkening, Severus noticed when he peered closer—and in the very faint light from the sky, Severus saw a massive hulking shape rearing up menacingly right outside the opening and tearing at the already gaping hole with deadly talons. He froze as the identification of the creatures' species became clearer by the moment. Sharp steely talons… conical fangs… glittering, snow white scales… broad wings… A dragon!

The realisation hit Severus hard enough to knock the air from his lungs and he skidded to a halt at the mouth of the new hole. He knew that even a skilled wizard with magic couldn't hope to take on a full grown dragon, let alone an injured, magicless man such as him, and he whipped around, but as he was starting rapidly towards the other side of the room, a small, barely audible voice called out.

He froze. When he turned to see who had called, he realised there were two small figures perched on the dragons' back, but he couldn't make out who they were in the darkness. Then, as if the dragon heard his thoughts, it turned slightly and Severus could see clearly who was with the dragon. If he had thought earlier nothing could shock him more, he was wrong; nothing could shock him more than seeing Harry Potter and Hermione Granger sitting on a dragons back.

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**A/N Please review and let me know if you liked it! Again: can we try for 25 reviews? I would be ever so happy if you could do that for me. I'll update within the week if you do! XD**


	9. Return

**A/N Thank you guys so much for the absolutely wonderful reviews! I love you guys! I got 25 so here's your chapter, in a week too! So happy, I am. I really loved writing this chapter, mostly because of Delacroix, the dragon, so I hope you like it too!**

******Also, you obviously like HG/SS otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. Have you read my other HG/SS, 'Flight among the Stars'? If not, maybe you could read it...? Maybe review...? ;D**

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Hermione couldn't speak when she saw the dragon for the first time as it perched on the highest peak of her enclosure, its pure white scales gleaming in the dying sunlight.

"So, do you like her?" Harry asked with a grin.

Hermione gaped for a moment before finding her voice and saying slowly, "She's beautiful… Where did you find her?"

"Remember that time we broke into Gringotts?"

She was taken aback. "You can't mean… this isn't…" she stammered.

Harry nodded, held his wand near his mouth and shouted, "Heyyy Delacroix!"

The dragon lifted her head abruptly at the sound of his voice and stared in their direction before leaping down from her perch and extending her wings to their full length. With a graceful twist in the air, she swooped down at them, letting out a loud roar. Hermione and Harry ducked as she flew over their heads, gusting them with a torrent of air from her wings.

"Dela, here," Harry called again, and Delacroix obeyed, landing a few yards away from them, so Hermione could finally get a good look at her. The dragons icy blue eyes peered back at her with curiosity, and as she tucked her massive wings against her sides, Hermione realised they were slightly translucent.

"Well? Do you want to ride her now?" Harry asked. She nodded enthusiastically and Harry led her over to where Delacroix had landed, the dragon contemplating their every move cautiously.

"How did you tame her?" Hermione asked as they neared her.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I didn't."

"What?"

"I meant, I didn't need to. She loves people. Magic people, that is, who don't have dark magic written all over them." Hermione smiled as she reached her hand out to stroke Delacroix's scales, which were smooth and cool to touch.

"We should probably get going," Harry suggested, causing Hermione to jump slightly at his voice. She nodded and Harry climbed up Delacroix to sit on her back, right between her shoulder blades. When he was situated, he held his hand out to her. "Here—I'll help you up." Hermione took his hand, letting him hoist her up so she sat right behind him.

"Have you ever ridden her before?" Hermione asked as Delacroix rose to her feet, jostling the two Gryffindors; Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's waist and clung to him tightly as Delacroix spread her wings out on either side.

"Nah," Harry replied. "She's never let me before."

At the horrified look on Hermione's face, he let out a cackle. "Don't worry; I never said she hasn't been ridden before. She let Ginny ride her just fine."

Hermione still wasn't convinced, but she could say anything else because at that moment, Delacroix beat her massive wings and a moment later they were in the air, the wind streaming in their faces and Hermione clinging tighter to Harry with her eyes squeezed tightly shut as they ascended into the skies.

Hermione still couldn't believe that she was here, out of that terrible place and here with Harry, on a dragons back at that! She still didn't know where Harry had Apparated them, but what she knew was it was a long way from Hogwarts. She also didn't know how he had Apparated out of Malfoy Manor, and when she had asked, he had responded with an indecipherable mutter, what she took to be a hint that he didn't want to discuss the subject, so she didn't press the matter. Instead, as they walked through the dense forest they had Apparated near, Hermione asked him how he had found her. She remembered their conversation vividly.

"Can I ask you something?" she had asked.

"Of course. Fire away."

She hesitated before asking, "How did you know where I was?"

Harry, as predicted, looked uncomfortable, but nevertheless, he responded, "I saw you leave the castle, and I wondered where you had gone. I wasn't going to go after you until I saw Snape start to follow you, so I got a little worried as to what he might do… you know…"

"Harry, he wasn't going to hurt me or anything," she had sighed with frustration. "He's a teacher, for Merlin's sake! Just because you don't like him doesn't mean—"

"I know, I know, but I couldn't help but be slightly worried, so I followed you. Anyway, I saw you talking to him, and I knew you were probably just talking about homework or something, so I got ready to leave, and that's when… that creature came out, and you greeted it like a friend. Who was that golden creature?"

Hermione had stared at him in confusion, before realising he didn't know about Safire. "Oh, that was Safire, a Frences."

Harry was obviously confused, but he didn't ask about it, instead continuing with his anecdote. "So, of course I was more curious than ever, so I stayed. After seeing you talking to this Safire for a while, I was getting bored until you started crying at something Snape said—"

"It's Professor Snape," Hermione corrected.

"Whatever." Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Anyway, _Professor _Snape said something that made you start crying, and I was ready to come out and hex him into next week. Then you just walked away." Harry paused. "What did he say?"

Hermione had been slightly uncomfortable, but she answered, "He was just asking me about something I said during my detention the other day. Why do you want to know?"

Harry shrugged, obviously still very curious. "I just wanted to know, in case I still need to hex him."

Hermione had fallen silent, wondering why Harry was asking her that; then, as she thought about it, she had asked him to tell her how he had found her. What really surprised her was how he had followed her all that way without her knowing he was there, but even as she was thinking this, she realised he had probably had the Invisibility Cloak.

"Where did you go when I left?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I stayed to see what Snape—_Professor _Snape—would do, then followed you, of course," he continued airily. "When I saw that thing attack you I was getting ready to jump out to help when Snape appeared again. By that time, I was thinking he was some sort of bodyguard the way he defended you."

Hermione rolled her eyes in embarrassment. "It wasn't like he was trying to protect me. He still called me insufferable know-it-all."

Hermione was pulled out of her thoughts as Harry called, "Look, Malfoy Manor." She daringly opened her eyes a crack and saw it, looming in the near distance, its turrets and spires ominous in the darkening sky.

"So, you're sure you know the right room?" Hermione asked for the fourth time.

"Yes, Hermione, I'm sure," Harry replied patiently, for the fourth time. "Now, I've never had Dela do anything like this; I'm not sure what she'll do. Hopefully luck is with us…"

As they neared the ground, Harry clung tighter to Delacroix's neck spike in preparation for landing and Hermione tightened her arms around Harry. As they landed, Hermione and Harry were jolted forwards, Harry nearly being impaled on the spike he was gripping. All at once, Delacroix reared her head back, let out a mighty roar or fury, and brought her claws down on the façade of Malfoy Manor, the bricks and stones crumbling like sand from the force of her strike. An empty room was revealed through the hole, and Hermione could see a dark figure standing there; then the figure turned and started stumbling over rocks and debris towards the door.

Hermione recognised Professor Snape instantly, but before she could call out, Harry yelled, "Over here, hurry!" The figure paused and looked back at them and they waved their hands wildly, trying to get his attention. Finally, Snape started towards them and Harry pounded on Dela's back, signaling her to bend down, which she did obediently. Hermione watched as the Potions Master halted next to Delacroix, gazing at her in astonishment.

"Potter," Snape drawled while sneering at Harry. "What is with you and dragons? Perhaps you're spending too much time with our Hagrid and are becoming slightly...obsessive." He didn't even seem to

"I help save your life and all you can do is complain," Harry seethed while ensuring he didn't frighten Dela, "I don't know why you even stick up for him, Hermione. He is just one irritable git in my opinion."

"I see you haven't learnt to control your temper yet Potter," Severus rudely replied as he quickly glanced at Hermione with a gentle gaze that would have surprised her if she had been looking at him at the time. "And you may be aiding my escape however I am your Professor and I do expect respect."

"Harry, don't!" Hermione shouted seeing that Harry was about to retaliate. "Let's just go."

"You heard Hermione, are you coming or not?" Harry snapped impatiently, forgetting in the heat of the moment that he was talking to a professor with the shortest of tempers. Hermione saw irritation flash briefly across his face before he reluctantly started climbing up towards them. Dela stumbled slightly at the extra weight but didn't lose her footing as Snape stiffly sat behind Hermione. She could tell this was like an explosion to his ego, having to accept help from two teenagers, but there was no time to worry about broken egos right now; a glance backwards told her the Death Eaters were already after them, and they didn't look too happy either.

"Come on Delacroix, come on," Harry muttered. "Hurry, we need to get out of here!"

Hermione could tell Snape was itching to berate them, or demand they explain why they were doing this, but he couldn't have spoken if he wanted to because the words would have been forced back down his throat as Dela took to the air. She had gotten used to the ride and was now actually enjoying it, despite the fact that she usually despised flying. Her joy was soon smothered as spells and curses started firing towards them as the Death Eaters shot after them furiously. She leaned forward against Harry as Delacroix's wings beat a rapid rhythm on either side of them, getting them further from the danger and closer to safety.

All at once the dragon let out a roar of pain as the curses hit her, and Hermione wondered briefly if they would even escape sufficiently to escape injuries.

"Potter, Hermione!" Severus roared, not realising he called Hermione by her first name. "Assist me; put some wards around the dragon!"

Hermione nodded shortly and pulled out her wand, then a thought hit her and she began to say, "Come on Harry, we need you to help too! Put wards around Dela. If not for him, do it for me!"

Hermione looked straight ahead. "Cave Inimicum… Cave Inimicum…" she chanted quickly, even as Harry did the same. A faintly purple sphere began forming around Delacroix, deflecting most of the spells aimed at her and causing them to ricochet back at their casters. In less then five minutes, more than half of the Death Eaters had either fallen back or been knocked off their brooms.

But there was one masked figure still coming strongly at them, not even wavering as Harry and Hermione fired hex after spell at him. His wand flicked curses at them faster than they could retaliate back at him, and his broom was easily keeping pace with Dela.

"We'll never get away in time," Harry shouted over the wind whistling past their ears. "Keep firing at him; I've got an idea!"

Abruptly, Delacroix snapped her wings tight against her side and fell into a steep dive, straight down through the opaque clouds; Hermione glanced up and saw that Harry was holding what appeared to be giant reins and was steering the dragon where he wanted her to go. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut as the harsh, stinging wind blasted her in the face, freezing her to the bone; that time of year wasn't the best time to go on a dragon ride, she thought coldly. Then: _How ironic._

As they spiraled down towards the unforgiving ground to what was undoubtedly their ultimate death, Hermione wondered how this could possibly be Harry's idea. What good would they be if they were dead?

"You might want to duck!"

Harry's warning shocked Hermione for a moment, and she just sat there a moment wondering what they were ducking under; then her mind caught up with her and she ducked against Harry, who was laying flat on Delacroix's neck. She was about to ask what was on the other side of the clouds when they broke through…

Right over the ocean.

When Delacroix saw the raging waters, she extended her wings, but not fast enough; then, instead of trying to stop, she folded her wings over her passengers and dove straight into the dark water, her wings keeping the water off of them as effectively as any spell or charm.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, his voice reverberating eccentrically off Delacroix's wings.

Hermione nodded, then twisted her head around to see how Professor Snape had fared during their crazy flight. She wasn't surprised to see that his face was, as usual, a blank mask; if he was nervous, he certainly weren't showing it. When she turned back around, she saw Harry rummaging through his pockets, obviously searching for something.

"Harry, is this how you said the plan would go?" Hermione asked. "I don't remember anything about going underwater when you explained it to me."

"Uh… what did you say?" he replied absentmindedly. "Oh, well not really; I mean, I didn't expect it, but it worked didn't it?"

"Yeah… yeah I suppose…" Hermione trailed off. She had seen his distracted expression, concealed movements, and when she spoke he had started slightly. Harry was hiding something, she concluded, but what? Then something else hit her: Harry was speaking to her. Not a week ago, he had been ignoring her, acting like she wasn't even there; now here he was, rescuing her from the most dangerous place known, and acting as though their argument had never occurred. Not that she wasn't glad for the change, it was a relief to finally be speaking to him again, but why the sudden change of heart? What had made him do it?

She opened her mouth to ask him just that when Delacroix shuddered; one might think a dragon shuddering would not be any different from a human shuddering, but when Dela shuddered, her wings opened a fraction and water poured all over them, Harry was once again nearly impaled on her neck spike and Hermione slipped down the dragons' side, almost falling before someone grabbed her arm and hauled her back upright. She almost said thanks to Harry when she realised he was still trying to control Delacroix, his drenched hair and clothes sticking to him, and was not paying any attention to her. Confused, she twisted her head around and saw Snape sitting a ways back, his hands wrapped around another spike and his eyes pointedly adverted from ahead.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly looking towards Severus. "That was nice of you."

"You are welcome Miss Granger." Severus responded with a small nod, "There is no need to thank me; after all you have put your life on the line for my own. Far many more times than you should of," he added with a dark look.

"D-don't worry about it." Hermione said blushing as she slightly stumbled on her own words, "I owe you as well."

"Huh?" Harry had regained control and was looked at her strangely. "For what?"

"Nothing," she replied hurriedly, abruptly glancing at Severus who had turned the other way.

Harry shrugged and turned back around just as Delacroix exploded from the water, sending glittering arcs of water droplets through the air as she soared higher and higher. She glanced around the skies but there was no sign of the Death Eater; he must have retreated thinking there was no way they could have survived underwater.

Even as the brief thought whipped across her mind, a flash of black appeared out of the corner of her eye and she saw the same Death Eater that had been following them last had just emerged from the thick clouds that were gathering overhead. As they sped away, the Death Eater easily kept pace. Hermione fired hex after hex at him but his nimble broom dodged them all as he returned fire. Harry had his work cut out for him just trying to keep Delacroix in control; at one point, he allowed her to whip around and breathe a torrent of white-hot flames at the Death Eater but that caused her wings to tangle and she plummeted towards the ocean below until Harry could disentangle them, nearly causing them to be slammed into the ground below. He didn't let her do that again.

It was then Hermione realised Delacroix was tiring from her extended, pressured flight; her breath was coming in rapid gasps and she was definitely slowing down. The Gryffindor rested her hand of Harry's shoulder and muttered, "Dela is going to collapse if we force her to go any longer." She hoped he would get her unspoken meaning. As was Harry, he did.

"But if we don't keep going, he—" He gestured towards the sneering Death Eater with a jerk of his thumb— "will catch up and most likely kill us." His eyes grew frantic. "What should we do?"

Hermione shook her head, then something hit her; something so outlandish, so absurd, so ridiculous, she hardly thought it, but it was the only way.

She reached down, grabbed her wand, and poked Harry in the back with it.

"Ow!" he yelped in shock. "What was that for—Hey!"

She had just sent a shocking spell straight at his back, sending jolts through him; she felt terrible doing this, but it was the only way. If she could purposely summon the Xi'an in Harry, maybe he would attack the Death Eater and give them an advantage. It was the most absurd thing she had ever done.

As she continued to cast small spells on him, he steadily grew more angry until he finally grabbed her wand hand and glared into her eyes, all thoughts for steering the dragon forgotten. "What has gotten into you, Hermione?" he shouted in her face. "Why are you doing this?"

Hermione didn't answer for she noticed his complexion growing darker, and brown fur started sprouting all over his face and arms; her idea had worked, but would the Xi'an know to attack the Death Eater? Or would he attack them? But it was too late for that. Harry's eyes were narrowing and the fur grew longer until it was more then four inches long, and he growled, sending shivers down her spine at the thought that her best friend would even think about attacking her, no matter his situation.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Severus on guard; he had maneuvered himself slightly so he was directly behind her.

"Miss Granger," he whispered close to her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "I want you to move behind me. Potter is not in his right mind, he is dangerous and he may hurt you; I cannot let that happen."

Touched by his unexpected kindness, Hermione almost agreed, however she knew, deep down that she wouldn't get hurt. "With respect, there is no need, sir. Harry wouldn't hurt me," Hermione whispered back while tilting her head somewhat back, "Watch!"

All at once Harry released a howl that made her blood run cold, and the fully transformed Xi'an swung his shaggy head around, sniffing the air madly. When he spotted the Death Eater on his broom barely three metres away, his claws slid out and with a snarl he leaped at the Death Eater. He slammed hard into the shocked man, knocking him from his broom and sending him hurtling downwards towards the ground and most likely his death; Harry landed precariously on the narrow broomstick, gripping to hold on as it bucked wildly.

"Harry, get back over here!" Hermione screeched as he slowly lost his grip, now clinging on with a single claw. "Harry!"

When she spoke the second time, the dark furred creature turned his head with a growl and bared its teeth at her before trying to himself slowly on top of the broom, which was still zigzagging and bucking. He had almost gotten up when it gave a mighty surge and he lost his grip completely, plummeting downwards.

Hermione mustered her courage and grabbed Dela's reins and with them, yanked Delacroix's head downwards so the dragon was pelting after the twisting, howling creature below. The wind whistled past their ears, making it so even if she did try to yell at him, she wouldn't even hear herself. But there was no need, because they quickly caught up to him, passing him, and Hermione pulled up, only having to wait a few moments before he landed with a startled yip as the breath was driven from his lungs on Dela's back a ways behind Hermione. Hermione would tell him later how lucky he had been to have missed one of the dragons' pointed spikes.

But for now she had to make sure he was alright. Glancing behind her, she saw that the Xi'an's fur was slowly turning a lighter shade, and she thought quickly, coming up with the solution. Handing the reins to Snape, who glared at her callously, she scrambled unsteadily past him with a muttered, "keep her going straight," and started towards Harry, who was himself again except that his skin was still the dark fur colour.

"Hermione…" he gasped as she neared, his eyes wide with shock. "What just happened?"

"It alright, Harry," she assured him. "You saved us."

"I—what?"

"You knocked the Death Eater off his broom," she explained. "You saved us all."

Harry gazed at her, speechless. "But… how? How did I save you?"

"The Xi'an came out. It had to, or we would have all died. Harry, please understand why I did it, it was for us…" Hermione trailed off, unsure how to continue. "Harry, come on; we need to get back up there. I'm not sure how Snape likes his new job…"

"You let him steer Delacroix?" Harry asked incredulously.

Hermione started at the unexpected response. "Yes. Why? Did you not want him to?"

Harry shook his head. "It's not that, but… you would trust him that much, with something as important as that?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes wandering to where the dark cloaked man was sitting, his shoulders tense with… apprehension? Hermione couldn't tell. "Well, should we go back up there then?"

Harry shook his head. "No, not yet. I—I need to talk to you for a moment. About what's been going on between you and Snape."

Hermione was taken aback by the question. Going on between her and Snape? Why would he ask that? There was nothing going on with her and the Potions Master, unless Harry was referring to their talk on the lakeshore. But that wasn't even a proper talk, and she had explained what they had spoken about, so why would he be referring to that?

"What do you mean?" she finally asked, a slight tremor in her voice. "Nothing's going on between us."

Harry tilted his head. "What about the way he looks at you, and you look at him? And I heard about what happened in your detention, and how you gave your life for him." A confused expression twisted his face. "Please, Hermione; tell me what's going on."

Hermione shook her head and frowned. "Harry, I already told you: nothing is between us. What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know, but whenever he's around you get all quiet."

She couldn't deny it; she did get nervous around the dark man, but not in the way Harry was implying; not even close, in fact. She just got nervous because of all the things they'd been through together; bringing the other back from the dead; getting taken hostage by those bizarre creatures; and now escaping Malfoy Manor. It was starting to make Hermione think someone was setting them up, and she shuddered.

"Are you okay?"

Harry's inquiry startled Hermione, and she nodded. "Fine," she replied and she gave him a small smile.

Harry still looked dubious, but he just shrugged it off and turned his head to stare off into the distance for a moment, his eyes glazed as he sat there, deep in thought. Hermione wondered why he was so curious, but she didn't dare ask in case he took it badly. She would have to just wonder and imagine why he might have, but his questions had unnerved her. Did he think she was plotting with Snape? Or was it something else?

She realised she was just making a big deal out of this. "Harry," she started. "Can I ask you something?"

Harry shook himself out of his daze and turned his gaze towards her, his eyes glittering curiously. "Yes?"

Hermione took a deep breath then asked, "Why are you all of a sudden talking to me? I mean, before I left, you acted as though I wasn't even there, but now you're rescuing me on a dragon and talking to me as if we had never argued. What happened? What made you do…" she paused, uncertain. "…this?"

Harry seemed faintly uncomfortable at this. "I overreacted, that's all," he muttered. "Sorry about that."

Hermione still wasn't satisfied. "But _why?_" she pressed. "Why did you suddenly start talking to me? Harry, I want to know what happened. Please."

Harry inhaled deeply, then sighed. "Hermione, I—I can't talk about it here, not when there's someone around who would hear me. I'll tell you later, I promise."

"Harry—"

"Later," Harry repeated with a meaningful glance at Snape, who still had his back turned to them. "I promise." He fixed Hermione with a gaze so warm, so full of affection, she turned her face away as a blush spread through her face.

"Potter!"

Professor Snape was getting impatient. Harry and Hermione had been talking for a lot longer than they first thought, and he was wondering what they were talking about. Maybe escape tactics, or the best Quidditch matches ever. He snorted to himself; yeah right.

It was then the two Gryffindor's moved back up front; Harry took the reins from Severus with a curt nod as he sat down, and Hermione smiled warmly at the Potions Master as she took her seat between him and Harry. Severus was well aware of the little room between her back and his chest, and for some very odd reason he felt the urge to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer to him, breathe in her aroma.

But he needed to resist these temptations. Even though she was the one he needed to fall in love with to reclaim his magic, he still needed to keep from pushing her so far away until there was no hope she would fall for him. He was actually surprised at the attraction he was starting to feel for her, and was even more shocked at the way she seemed to be reciprocating it, how she had backed him, insisting to Potter that they return for him. It still left him speechless when she smiled at him, or looked at him in her intoxicating way.

When he had whispered to her to move behind him, he had been surprised when she didn't make any move to avoid him; instead, it was as though she was savouring his closeness, and he wondered briefly if she had any feelings for him at all, or, that is, positive feelings. If she had negative feelings for him, he wouldn't be surprised, but it would hurt him more than anything. Not because he was falling for her, but because then he would never get his magic back, and he couldn't imagine going any longer without it. He was slowly deteriorating as his last memories of the incantations slipped from his mind. He had tried writing them down while he had still been at Hogwarts, but when he only managed to copy down eight of the countless spells, he had drunk himself senseless, furious with himself for not thinking of that sooner.

He would never let her go. If he had to duel Harry Potter, and anyone else who tried to date her, to get her, he would, but anything to retain his magic. Already he was feeling the emptiness building inside him, and he wondered how much longer he could last.

Suddenly, he realised Hermione was watching him intently, her eyes wide. "Professor, look!" She gestured with her arm and he followed her gaze to see Hogwarts standing proudly about two leagues away.

Home.

Hermione was getting apprehensive, and to Severus' surprise she leaned back against his chest, lightly, with her arms folded across her stomach. He let in a sharp intake of breath and Hermione instantly sat straight up, glancing at him quickly before turning to face forward, but not before Severus saw the embarrassed, guilty look on her face. He smirked. What a girl. Then he corrected himself: What a woman.

"Alright, Hermione," Harry suddenly called over the rushing wind. "When we land, I want you and Snape to get off quickly and stay somewhere where no one will see you." Before Hermione could protest, he hurried to continue. "I want to take Delacroix back to her enclosure, then Apparate back here to you."

"Harry, are you sure?" Hermione asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Yes, Hermione." Harry turned around to gaze into her eyes. "Please, just stay safe, alright?"

Hermione nodded. "You too," she whispered. "And please hurry."

With that, they landed with a bone-jarring thump, and Hermione took Harry's hand as he helped her to the ground. She swayed, unsteady after the flight, and when she recovered, she saw Severus had already disembarked and was standing a ways away. Glancing up at Harry, she saw an uncertain expression across his face before he gave one last wave and took to the skies. She watched until he vanished, then she suddenly realised how exhausted she was, and with that last thought, her eyes rolled back in her head and her knees buckled beneath her; she barely noticed she fell into strong, safe arms that caught her as she fell.

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**A/N Ok, can we try for 40 reviews? I want to know what you thought of this chapter, and if I should make any changes in it. Thank you for reading this! I love you guys!**


	10. Finally is Broken

**A/N Here you have it! Thanks so much for all your wonderful reviews, they really lift my spirits and make me write faster! Ok, I'll explain better at the end, but I can't resist a bit of action in very chapter...**

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Hermione blinked her eyes open and gazed around her through dim, blurry vision. She seemed to be leaning against a smooth tree truck facing a broad expanse of smooth, azure water, and when she peered closely, she could see the moon and stars setting on the horizon and the sun rising opposite. Surprised, she realised she had slept through the entire night and suddenly wondered if Harry had returned. She rose to her feet and glanced around, searching for any sign of him or Professor Snape. She spotted the Potions Master standing a ways away, his back to her, gazing out across the still water.

Hermione wondered briefly if he had even slept last night, but guessed he hadn't at the way his shoulders slumped. She started towards him, picking her way through rocks and tall grasses until she stopped about a metre away from him.

"Is Harry back yet?" she whispered quietly, even though they were alone and no one could hear.

Severus was caught off guard by her sudden question but he didn't let it show. "No, I've not seen him." His voice was unusually subdued and he spoke almost as quietly as Hermione did. "I see you're awake," he commented neutrally.

Hermione smiled slightly. "Yeah... How did I get there?" she asked curiously, though she already knew the answer.

A pause, then: "That would be my doing." He finally turned his head to gaze at her, and Hermione shivered, and not from the cold either. "Why did you come back for me? Why didn't you leave me there like any other student would have?"

To Hermione's surprise, Severus seemed genuinely curious, and she replied simply, "I'm not any other student."

Severus almost smiled. "Well, thank you, I guess," he muttered awkwardly, no sign of his previous harshness or coldness.

"I wouldn't want to leave anyone at that foul place," Hermione pointed out and; she was triumphant that she had squeezed a word of gratitude from the Slytherin Head. "You're welcome," she added, and turned her eyes to follow his gaze.

They stood in silence, staring at the sky, lost in thought, until a sharp pop sounded behind them; turning their heads simultaneously, they saw Harry emerge from some holly bushes, a broad grin on his face. "I'm back," he said needlessly.

"What took you so long?" Hermione asked as she rushed at him and threw her arms around his neck in a string embrace.

Harry laughed into her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "Delacroix wouldn't let me leave," he explained with amusement. "I guess she had been left alone too long and wanted to be free. But we might need her again."

Hermione pulled away but Harry took her hands in his and stared into her eyes. "Hermione, you wouldn't believe how worried I'd been when you were taken. I-I was afraid they would kill you." His eyes glittered. "I'm so glad you're back."

"Oh, Harry..." Hermione smiled with sadness in her eyes. "I'm fine, you know it."

"Yes, but..." Harry broke off. "I'm just glad you're back."

Hermione was starting to feel uncomfortable at his obvious shows of affection in front of Severus. "Harry, we should probably be getting back to Hogwarts now; they're probably missing you by now." Hermione pulled away from his hands.

Harry nodded slowly. "Alright, then; let's go." He started away from Hermione and towards the castle looming in the distance. Hermione followed, but when she didn't see Professor Snape move, she paused. "Are you coming?"

Severus scowled and snapped, "Patience, Granger; learn the word." With that stinging remark, he started walking briskly.

Hermione couldn't help but feel hurt at his sharp words after he had been so much nicer earlier. Was it Harry's presence causing it? She shook her head. Of course it wasn't. Severus Snape wasn't a kind person, she must have been hallucinating or something. But he had seemed so sincere, she thought as she trailed behind Harry as they continued on.

"Hello, Hermione!" The sudden call startled Hermione; she turned and to her surprise, saw Safire bounding towards her.

"Safire!" she greeted her friend. "What are you doing all the way out here?" Hermione saw Harry and Snape watching her.

"What do you mean, all the way out here?" Safire asked. "I'm right near where you found me."

Hermione was shocked "Are you sure we're that close?" Safire nodded and she continued. "Could you show us the way?"

"Yeah, follow me!" Safire turned as Hermione beckoned Harry and Snape. When they came back to her, they started out after the Frences into the heart of the forest; after barely five minutes, Hermione began recognising the place.

"Hermione, are you sure you trust Safire?" Harry called as he stumbled over a fallen tree. "Is this the right way for sure?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I've actually been here before, and we're close to Hagrid's place; just a little further."

Hermione suddenly pulled to a halt as she reached Safire, who had stopped in the middle of the trail and was staring intently at the ground. "Is there a problem?" she asked curiously. Safire glanced up, and Hermione realised it wasn't Safire, but another larger Frences, with grey streaks through its fur. "Oh, sorry..." Hermione started to back away but the unfamiliar creature had already leaped, bowling her over. She gasped painfully as the breath was crushed from her lungs.

"Fleck! Stop it!" A high pitched howl ripped through the air and the weight on Hermione vanished. She sat up, aching.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Safire asked, suddenly beside her with a worried look. "Sorry; my grandfather is out of sorts."

"That was your grandfather?" Hermione asked incredulously. "I thought you said you were the only one out here?"

Safire looked down at her paws. "I kind of lied... I didn't want any chance someone would find him. He's lost it." Hermione laughed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Where did you go?"

"Oh, I was a ways ahead of you," Safire explained. "Did you not see me? I could see you the entire time."

"No, you were probably hidden by something or-" She broke off as Harry and Severus crashed through the bushes behind them, their eyes locking on hers. "There you are, Harry." Hermione stood.

"We heard you yell," Harry explained. "We thought someone was attacking you. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Harry, don't worry about me." Hermione was starting to get annoyed at how protective Harry was getting with her, as if she couldn't take care of herself. "It was just Safire; she surprised me."

"Oh..." Harry cast Safire a fleeting glance before turning away. "Come on; let's hurry up and get back. We're wasting time." Safire and Hermione exchanged a perplexed look before following Harry and Snape in silence. Safire broke it first.

"So, what were you doing all the way out here?" she inquired. "You and Severus look like you had a run-in with Aragog."

Hermione let out a snort. "It feels like it," she commented dryly. "No, actually, we just escaped Malfoy Manor."

Safire nearly tripped over her own paws in shock. "Do continue," she stammered.

So Hermione explained every detail of her capture, from the moment Darkenza had appeared up until just a few minutes ago. Safire was shocked as she recounted the tale, but when Hermione mentioned the dragon, Delacroix, the Frences' fur spiked with fear.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked with concern.

Safire shuddered. "I had a terrible experience with a dragon," she growled. "They make me nervous now."

"I'm sorry... What happened?" Hermione wondered how a dragon could scare such a brave creature as Safire.

"I'll tell you later. I want to hear the rest of your story," Safire glanced up at Hermione, willing her not to protest. "Continue."

Hermione nodded and finished her story. Safire was silent, then: "You two just can't keep out of trouble, can you?"

Hermione burst out laughing. "No, apparently not," she replied with amusement. It was then they pulled to a halt beside Harry and Severus and followed their gaze. "We made it," Hermione whispered. "Hogwarts."

Suddenly, Harry took off down the slope, heading towards the castle. Hermione laughed and dashed after him, Safire hot on her heels; she quickly passed Hermione and caught up to Harry, who glanced down in surprise and took a misstep, twisted around and fell on his back. Hermione also tripped, landing on Harry's chest; the dark haired boy-man, as he now was-looked up at her in surprise, then, to her surprise, started laughing hysterically.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked as she stood up and brushed herself off. "Um, Harry?"

"I'm fi-fine!" Harry choked between guffaws. "You just tripped and your face... you should'e seen yourself!"

Hermione sighed and extended a hand to help him up as Severus caught up to them. "Miss Granger, Potter, I would expect more mature behaviour from seventh years," he sneered in derision. "I suggest you get up and get going."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Very well; let's go, Harry. I'm so tired it's not even funny!"

"Agreed," Harry agreed, following at a slower pace down the hill.

Neither of them noticed Severus bend down slightly to whisper to Safire, "Make sure they make it back safely, especially Hermione. There are... things I need to do." Safire smirked and nodded her consent, and with that, Severus Apparated to destination unknown.

When Safire caught up, Hermione glanced behind and was shocked to see no one. "Where did Professor Snape go?" she asked the Frences, who just shook her head mysteriously. Hermione kept asking but Safire didn't relent. "Well, then, what did he say?" she finally asked with a huff.

"Just to get you back safely," Safire replied shortly, then a flash of mischief appeared in her eyes and she took off running down the hill away from Hermione. The Gryffindor girl sighed in exasperation and followed.

Finally, they arrived at Hagrid's hut. "Finally," she whispered. "A familiar place." But it was too early to visit, so the three friends continued on to the castle, quiet despite the desertedness of the grounds. They pushed the heavy wooden doors open and slipped inside, starting down the hall towards the Gryffindor Common room. They made it to their destination without being seen, but if they had thought they could get to bed unnoticed, they had a shock coming.

"Harry, you're back!" the Fat Lady exclaimed in surprise. "I see you succeeded in your mission. Well, whatever you find in there wasn't my fault," she said as the portrait swung outwards and Harry, Hermione and Safire crawled inside, where they nearly fainted at the sight.

Nearly every Gryffindor was awake, and sitting all across the common room; when they entered, all heads turned to them and they were almost instantly surrounded by their housemates coming to greet them with words of delight.

"Harry! You made it back safely, I see!"

"Glad to see you, Hermione!"

"We've missed you both!"

"You must be exhausted!"

Hermione was shocked at how much she was obviously missed. Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned to see Fred Weasley grinning down at her. "Never thought I'd see the day when you escaped Malfoy Manor, eh, Hermione?" With a warm smile, he pulled her close to him, his arms wrapping around her waist. She was surprised for a moment, then shrugged it off and returned the embrace, glad to see the redhead again.

"Hermione!"

Fred released her reluctantly and Hermione turned in time for Ginny to throw her arms around Hermione in a tight squeeze, crushing the breath from her lungs. "Where have you been? I've missed you so much!" Ginny's eyes glowed.

"It's good to see you too, Ginny," Hermione replied with a smile at her best friend. "But, I kind of need to get cleaned up."

"Alright, then," Ginny led Hermione up to the girls dormitory past everyone; a quick glance around told Hermione that Harry had already gone up to the boys dormitory. After cleaning up, Hermione went back down to the common room and saw it had emptied; Harry already waiting for her, his eyes tired. Hermione walked up to him and stood directly in front of him.

"So," she said.

"So, what?" Harry replied.

"So, you got me out of there," she replied softly, glad that no one else was around. "Thank you." She hesitated, then leaned up and pressed her lips to Harry's, her eyes closing partly. She sensed Harry's surprise; then he relaxed and snaked his arms around her waist, returning the kiss and pulling her close to his body. Neither saw Ginny appear in the doorway, grin, and depart again; they were too lost in each other.

When they finally broke apart, they were gasping gently, but Harry didn't release her yet. "I didn't know you had any feelings for me," Harry whispered with a hint of surprise and amusement in his voice.

"I always have," she replied quietly, her face still close to his. Finally, they reluctantly pulled apart and with a last look at each other, vanished into their dormitories for a decent night' sleep.

.

When Hermione woke the next morning, she saw that Safire had fallen asleep at the foot of the bed, it was noon judging by the bright sunlight streaming and Ginny was searching through her truck, obviously trying to find something important. As Hermione sat up, Ginny turned her head and sighed.

"I can't find my homework and I'll be late for Potions in ten minutes. You can come if you don't want to sleep any more; it is your next class too." Ginny went back to searching for her homework.

"Sure," Hermione replied, standing and yawning. She frowned. "I don't know what the assignment was."

"Oh, you weren't here," Ginny shrugged as if it didn't matter. "I'm sure Snape'll let you off, seeing as you've been gone all week. We had to write a two-foot essay about the twelve uses of dragons' blood."

Hermione winced. "Well, I'll come anyway; I still need to catch up. And did you say Snape is teaching?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, he came back this morning, it was announced at breakfast. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, he just disappeared right before we got to Hagrid's place and I haven't seen him since," Hermione replied with a shrug, trying to appear nonchalant; in truth, for some bizarre reason, she actually wanted to know if he had gotten back safely, and it surprised her when she actually felt concern for the stringent, profound Slytherin Head. "So, have you found it?" she asked at the same time Ginny cried, "Found it!"

Ginny waited as Hermione hurriedly dressed in a plain black tee and denim shorts then they hurried down the stairs and through the common room before ducking through the portrait hole into the hall. Once there, they picked up the pace as fast as they could go without breaking the corridor rules and headed towards the dungeons.

"Oh, I really do not want to be late," Ginny huffed as she checked her watch. "Not for Potions…"

They arrived at the dungeon door a moment before the clock struck. As they slipped inside, Hermione instantly spotted Snape gliding through the door on the opposite wall; Hermione was surprised at how well he had cleaned up. Anyone looking at him without knowing his previous situation wouldn't have had a clue what he had gone through just a day previously.

"Over here," Ginny whispered, leading Hermione towards two empty seats near the front of the room; Snape was too busy writing potion ingredients on the board to notice them enter surreptitiously. A quick glance around told Hermione Slytherin was combined with Gryffindor. When Snape finished, he whipped around, his cloak billowing majestically behind him.

"Today each of you will get into pairs to brew any potion I assign you. You will work together and if any casualties occur I will dock house points, am I understood?" no one said a word, but everyone nodded quickly and Snape continued, going on to arrange them in pairs; Harry was instantly with Zabini and, to Hermione's dismay, Ginny was put with Millicent Bulstrode, who glared rudely at her redhead partner.

Finally Snape reached Hermione, who didn't shrink back at his glare. "Miss Granger," he drawled. "Draco, come over here."

At Hermione's horrified expression, Malfoy smirked. "Hey there, Mudblood," he sneered.

"Be silent," Snape warned. He handed them a piece of parchment. "You will do this potion, _together, _andwhen you are through you will bring a vial with a sample of it to my desk. You can leave when you have finished." He swept away, but Hermione could have sworn he flashed a fleeting glance in her direction but it must have been the lingering exhaustion from last night.

"Why are you staring at Professor Snape? We need to finish this!" Hermione started when Malfoy snapped at her and quickly averted her gaze, embarrassed that she had been caught staring, by Malfoy at that. Instead of retorting however, she looked down at the parchment and read aloud:

_Draught of the Living Death_

Hermione gaped. "This is advanced material; he can't seriously think we could make this successfully the first time we try?"

"Well, there's no harm trying, is there?" Malfoy shrugged. "So, where'd you disappear off to, Granger? Trying to find something, or could you just not stand Potter any more?"

"That's none of your business, Malfoy," Hermione growled through gritted teeth. "So shut up so we can do this potion."

"Touchy, aren't we, Granger?" Malfoy rolled his eyes and scooted over so he was uncomfortably close to Hermione; she slid away from him with a hiss and slammed the instructions down on the table between them. "Ok, you get the wormwood and valerian roots, I'll get the asphodel roots and Sopophorous bean."

"You don't tell me what to do, Mudblood," Malfoy hissed at her, his eyes flaring. "I'll get what I want."

Hermione ignored him, instead standing and making her way over to the classroom ingredient closet, where Harry was already searching for his required ingredients. Glad to see him, and also a bit nervous after last night, Hermione started scanning the shelves. "Hey Harry," she greeted softly.

He glanced up in surprise. "Oh, hi Hermione," he returned. "I got antidote to common poisons. You?"

"Draught of the living death," she replied, still not looking at him. "So how are you doing with Zabini?"

But Harry didn't even hear her last question. "Why'd he give you that? That's advanced stuff!"

Hermione shrugged. "Its not big deal. I'll give it my best shot, though it won't be easy with Malfoy breathing down my neck every time I do something. He's so annoying."

"Oh," Harry turned to gaze at Hermione. "Look, about last night… Why? Not that I didn't like it, but…"

"Harry, that was in the heat of the moment, I'm sorry…" Hermione found her last ingredient and turned towards the door to leave, but before she could go more than three steps, Harry grabbed her arm gently.

"Hermione, I didn't mean I didn't appreciate it; I just want you to know that I—I'm glad you did." Harry stepped forward and kissed her gently, briefly, before moving back, breaking contact and releasing her arm.

The startled Gryffindor stared at him before turning and leaving the room, her lips still tingling as she returned to her seat. "What took so long?" Malfoy scowled; Hermione saw he already had his ingredients.

"Couldn't find the Sopophorous," she muttered. Glancing at the instructions, she and Malfoy began working on the potion, carefully measuring each exactly; she noticed Malfoy was unusually quiet and wondered what had happened while she had been gone. She hadn't gotten the nerve to ask anyone what she had missed, but she resolved to question Ginny that night.

Finally, they finished the potion. Hermione found a vial and held it carefully while Malfoy ladled some of the mixture into it. After stoppering it, they stood simultaneously and went over to Professor Snape's desk. He didn't look at them as Hermione set the vial on his desk, but as they made to leave, she heard him say, "Miss Granger, stay in here until everyone leaves."

Confused Hermione dipped her head in acknowledgement and returned to her desk. Almost everyone else had finished by that point, and when the last few students turned in their potions, Hermione waited awkwardly to see what Snape had wanted.

When he finally spoke, Hermione was surprised at how empty his voice seemed, like something about him had gone missing during their capture. "I would appreciate, Granger, if you refrained from telling anyone about what happened over the past week, especially concerning me. There is no need for anyone to know about anything." She noticed he avoided eye contact as he spoke.

She contemplated him for a moment, concerned, then said, "Yes, sir. Is that all you needed?"

He didn't say anything, but gave her a short nod and she left the room.

.

"So, what did Snape want?" Ginny asked as she, Hermione and Harry walked through the corridors towards the Gryffindor house that evening.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione replied hesitantly.

"I know he didn't say 'nothing'," Harry pointed out. "Snape never says 'nothing' when he has a student stay after class."

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry, honestly," Hermione sighed in exasperation as the Fat Lady's portrait came in sight. "How many times must I tell you?"

Harry snorted but said nothing. When they pulled to a stop in front of the portrait hole, he said, "Hippogriff's Hover," hence the password, and the three friends scrambled inside. The common room was empty except for a couple of first years playing chess in the corner. Harry disappeared into the boys' dormitory with a muttered "'Night," while Hermione and Ginny hurried up to their dormitory. Luckily, everyone else was already asleep, and the two girls, not tired at all, sat on Hermione's bad cast the Silencing charm so no one could overhear them.

"So, are you sure you want to know?" Hermione asked Ginny. The redhead nodded and she sighed. "He just wanted to tell me not to tell anyone about our… situation at Malfoy Manor."

Ginny was partly confused and partly fascinated. "What situation?" Then her eyes widened and a broad disbelieving grin spread across her face. "You don't mean…"

Hermione caught her drift; her eyes widened and she shook her head hastily, shocked that her best friend would even think such a thing. "No, Ginny! Oh, my… You can't be serious; of course not!"

Ginny let out a huge burst of laughter at the horrified look on Hermione's face. "I was just joking," she snickered. "It was funny, though, when you realised…"

Hermione glared daggers at her friend. "That's not very funny, you know," she complained. "Now, can I tell you civilly what happened?"

Ginny nodded, the laughter dying from her eyes. "Yeah, and sorry, I just wasn't sure…"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, you know that night I wanted to be alone, so I went outside?" Ginny nodded. "I went to the lake, wanting to walk around it for a while and relax a bit, but then Professor Snape showed up for who knows what reason and started talking to me… it was really weird because it was so not like him to do that. It was as if he was possessed or something."

At this, Ginny snorted with laughter. "Possessed? Snape? I wouldn't be the least bit surprised!"

"Yeah, he sure seems like he is," Hermione agreed with a grin. "'Ten points from Gryffindor'," she imitated the dark professors slow, measured drawl then snorted with laughter.

"Ok," Ginny bit her lip to stop laughing. "Please continue with the story."

She listened patiently to Hermione's recount, fascinated at what she had gone through; however, she retched in disgust as Hermione told about the box she and Snape had been trapped in. "That is disgusting! You poor girl," she shook her head with wide eyes.

Ginny didn't notice when Hermione purposely left out any awkward details, like when Snape whispered in her ear, or when she leaned back against him for a split second, but even then Ginny was enthralled. When Hermione finished, Ginny bombarded her with questions and Hermione patiently answered most of them, until the redhead asked the daunting question.

"Is there something going o between you and Snape? An honest answer, please," she implored.

Hermione sighed; Harry had asked just that same question on the way back to Hogwarts. "Ginny, there is nothing going on between us, that would just be weird," she explained. "So we were taken and put in the same room; that doesn't necessarily mean we're suddenly friends or anything."

Ginny shrugged. "Okay, then. No harm in asking, right?"

"I suppose not," Hermione agreed, letting out a huge yawn. "Look, I'm tired; we really should get to bed. Maybe we can talk tomorrow morning."

Ginny nodded, also yawning. "Alright then. 'Night, Hermione."

.

"So, what's your first class?" Ginny asked as she and Hermione walked away from the Great Hall.

Hermione thought a moment, then said, "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Ginny shrugged. "I have Transfiguration," she said dejectedly. "Well, see ya at lunch then, I suppose."

"See ya," Hermione replied as they separated to go to their classes. Walking down the hall, alone, Hermione drew several glances and whispers about her disappearance; it was unnerving having everyone staring at her, even if she was top ranking in her year. She was curious as to what everyone thought about her being gone, and wondered what she should tell anyone who asked her. An idea crossed her mind, but it was so unlikely she shook it off, then considered it again.

What if she told them the truth? Not that they'd believe her, but it would be fun to see their reactions if she said she escaped on a dragon. As she was thinking, she didn't pay attention to her surroundings and nearly tripped over the group of first years that were stopped in the middle of the hall. An unusually subdued silence hung in the air and Hermione refrained from snapping at the careless first years, instead stretching onto her toes, trying to see over their heads. When she couldn't see anything, she pushed her way forwards, through the group of students until she reached the front of the line. What she saw made her stomach clench in nausea and grief.

A girl was lying on the floor, her arms twisted at odd angles and her clouded eyes giving a last glare of defiance. A thin slice across her throat slowly dripped crimson blood onto the polished floors, and the gathered crowd was speechless with shock.

"I'll fetch Professor McGonagall!" a third year Gryffindor shouted as he broke away, taking off down the hall.

Hermione hardly heard him as she stared at the Head Girl, Cho Chang's, unmoving body.

* * *

**A/N Um, right. I'm not really sure who the Head Girl was before Hermione, but I guessed that Cho would work, right? And it was RebeccaTwinTyler's idea so... If anyone knows who was before Hermione, please tell me. :) Please review, and I'll update again as soon as we hit 40. :)**

**Oh, and just to let you guys know, I may not be updating for a long while. Um, where do I start...**

**So, I'm in an online homeschool group that follows public schools, and I'm still way behind. The group, K12, sent me a computer to do all my school on and if I leave K12 next year, I have to send it back. My parents want to put me in public school next year, so I'll have to send the computer back sometime in July. I've just hit a major writers block, and if I have to send the computer back before I finish the next chapter, I'm sorry to say I most likely won't be updating for perhaps months. I feel terible, but that's my life. *shrug* Hope you liked this chapter, and so sorry for leaving you hanging. *grins mischieviously***


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